


Dance in the Graveyard

by roobird



Series: Angel River Solangelo AU [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Actually it’s gone a bit sad, Alluded to suicidal thoughts, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Character Death, Christmas Fluff, Daddy Issues, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, I promise it will be happy in the end, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Therapists are great, hang in there, i will get better at tags, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 130,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roobird/pseuds/roobird
Summary: *Winner of the Solangelo Fic Awards 2021 for Best Chaptered (Unfinished)! ;_;*Angel River is a small town with a big-hearted community - and when Nico, the self-estranged son of the di Angelo family, is forced to move back home during the Christmas season after seven years away, his main goal is to keep his time there short. However, as Nico tries to avoid making the small town his future, it seems his family and friends have other plans. If only the camp medicwho helps run the local bakery wasn’t so distracting...This is a Fluffy-Angsty-Holiday-AU that nobody wanted and I decided to write.(Title from Delta Rae’s song, “Dance in the Graveyard”)
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Angel River Solangelo AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181963
Comments: 314
Kudos: 264





	1. Moving

**Author's Note:**

> I have read fanfiction for years but...never felt cool enough to write it? But I dove hard into the PJO fandom and I adore Will and Nico, so it’s as good a time as any to write something!
> 
> This story is basically a combination of the following things (in no particular order): high school hometown vibes, Stars Hollow, Virgin River, fluffy Christmas movies, that one bakery that Meryl Streep owns in “It’s Complicated”...and then I just threw the PJO-verse characters in there (which I don’t own, btw, Rick Riordan does). I plan for it to be fluffy, angsty, and I don’t plan for it to be a masterpiece, but I’ll do my best. 
> 
> Sorry this chapter is Will-less. I had him in there but thennnn decided against it. He’s coming though! Scouts honor. And I didn’t edit this enough but I will for future chapters.

_ I don't want to rest in peace _

_ I want to dance in joy _

_ I want to dance in the graveyards _

_ The graveyards _

_ And while I'm alive, _

_ I don't want to be alone _

_ Mourning the ones who came before _

_ I want to dance with them some more _

_ Let's dance in the graveyards _

_ \- Delta Rae _

“Hazel,  _ slow down _ \- I feel like I’m being bucked around by a wild horse.”

Hazel looked over to her brother with a smirk, and made the next turn through the winding forest road. “Don’t be such a baby. This is how normal people drive.”

“I hardly believe that,” Nico applied pressure to his eyes with long fingers, nails painted black but already chipping, “especially given that your boyfriend drives like a cautious grandmother on her way to church, and he’s probably the most normal person we both know.” 

“I’m really not sure whether I should be flattered or insulted.” Frank called out from the backseat, his large frame pressed against numerous suitcases, clutching what looked to be a very unhealthy snake plant that Nico insisted had to come with them. Frank definitely shouldn’t have been stuck back with all the possessions Nico could cram into Hazel’s car, but Nico called shotgun hundreds of miles ago, and he wasn’t about to back down for the sake of someone else’s comfort. Especially when Nico was willingly being hurtled towards something very  _ uncomfortable _ …

His thoughts were interrupted as the car suddenly swerved to the side, making a hard stop that caused Nico’s stomach to jump up to his throat. “For gods’ sake, Hazel!” He turned to glare at his sister, but she had already bounded out of the car. Glancing out the window, he could see that she had pulled over at an overlook. He groaned and unbuckled himself, leaving Frank stuck in the backseat hollering after them. 

Nico walked over to Hazel, who turned to him, beaming. “Isn’t it beautiful? I wanted you to see this since it’s been so long since you’ve been home.” 

“Well gee Hazel, why didn’t you just drive us straight off the cliff, since you were headed that way anyway? I could have taken in the view and then not have to actually move back here.” Nico deadpanned, crossing his arms. Hazel elbowed him in the ribs, but then wrapped her arms around his middle, golden eyes still staring out at the view. Nico decided to follow suit, actually taking a look at the town he had been avoiding for the past seven years. 

Angel River was a small town that hadn’t grown significantly since Nico had been gone, though he supposed it held a certain grandeur when you were looking down on it from a mountain pass. Originally a mining settlement, it had expanded into a “booming” population of 2,000 residents (and under 2,500 meant you were still considered ‘rural’, so the town was excited to be so close to an ‘urban’ classification any day now). It was a relatively beautiful drive through the mountains, about two to three hours from any major city (two hours was really only when Hazel was driving). Though it was little, Angel River was well known in the state for its booming summer camp, and enthralling Christmas market. 

Nico was reentering the town just before the market started - he technically had till mid-December till he had to leave his apartment in the city, but Hazel insisted that it made more sense for her and Frank to help move him out as soon as possible. “You’ll earn back some rent money, and you won’t miss the start of the market.” She had pitched Nico this idea quite a bit for the past month, and he only relented after the fourth phone call (which consequently was the first time Hazel had cried about it; Nico caved when it came to sister-tears on almost anything). Given how his past year had gone, however, it wasn’t like Nico had much of an excuse, let alone an ability, to stay away from Angel River this time. 

From up above, Nico could see an array of twinkling lights, and even bits of the camp and its lakeshore further out. It was edging closer to sunset, but even without the brilliant yellows and oranges casting over the town, it just seemed  _ colorful _ , and  _ cheery _ , and  _ merry _ and  _ bright _ \- all words describing things Nico decided a long time ago that he hated. Especially when those words were describing Angel River. 

His stomach plummeted as he took in the sight of his childhood town, and suddenly, even though he was standing in some of the cleanest air the state had to offer (Angel River prided itself on caring for the earth before it was cool, and it showed), he felt like his breath wasn’t quite filling his lungs. Sensing his panic in a way only Hazel could understand, she gave his side another squeeze, and looked at him questioningly. 

Nico appreciated that his sister had also inherited a quieter, thoughtful nature - as feisty as she could be, Hazel was a good listener, and she understood body language well (at least, Nico’s body language, which was really all that mattered to him). 

“Just feeling overwhelmed,” Nico admitted, and he stared at the sunset as if it could somehow swallow him and take him down the horizon, “I still don’t see how this is a good idea, coming back to,” he gestured vaguely past the overlook, “all this.”

Hazel nodded. “It probably won’t feel like a good idea for a while. That’s just how things go sometimes. But Nico?” she waited until he slowly made eye contact with her before she continuing. “I’m  _ really _ glad you’ll be here. And I think it  _ is _ a good idea. And,” she looked off for a moment, as if she suddenly felt a bit awkward, “I think Dad thinks it’s a good idea too. He’s really looking forward to seeing you.”

A few beats of silence went by, and Nico muttered an “If you say so.” He kicked at the dust under his feet. “Let’s get back to the car - not because I want to get there any faster, but because I’m pretty sure Frank’s door doesn’t open from the inside.”

_And,_ he thought as the car pulled away to bring him closer to his childhood home, _It isn’t really moving back, if_ _I won’t be here very long anyway.  
_

\---


	2. Coming "Home"

“We’re here!” Hazel chirped, taking a sharp left up a long driveway. Nico felt it strange that even after seven years away, the sound of the gravel on tires threw him backwards in time; suddenly Nico was 8, 13, 17, coming back from various outings that always brought him to this home. 

On the outside, the house looked relatively the same - or rather, the _mansion_ , though neither Nico nor Hazel enjoyed calling it that. Their father may have made them the wealthiest family in Angel River, but that didn’t really translate to Hazel and Nico’s overall personalities and aesthetic. They rarely had people over growing up, preferring the smaller homes of their friends to the vastness of the estate they lived in. Although, Seph had changed that a bit, bringing warmth and life into the overall decor and accessibility to the home - and Hades, their father, never seemed to push back on their stepmother’s changes or occasional cocktail party. Evidence of her latest creations were apparent as they pulled closer to the entrance of the house; dogwood flowers bloomed in brilliant white, making the bright red bark stand out in contrast (Nico felt reminded of blood on snow and had to quiet his churning stomach). Lights had already been strung tastefully along the exterior, and a large wreath hung on the door, covered in poinsettias. While it was true that Seph arguably did her best work in springtime, she could make winter beautiful too, highlighting the most sturdy of plants and florals that could still be found in the snowy season. The cold still got to her, however, and Nico knew that if she wasn’t at her shop, he would probably find her in the greenhouse just to the right of the main house, tending to her flowers in year round humidity and warmth. 

If Hazel was the easiest of the di Angelo family to see, then Seph was a close second, perhaps tied only with Jules-Albert, the family chauffeur who, over time, became somewhat of an unofficial guardian for Nico growing up. He was French, but also spoke some Italian and Portegeuse, and when Nico was little he liked to exchange words in their mother tongues while being driven to school or soccer practice. 

When everything in the city had...gone wrong, he supposed, the university actually contacted Seph, who Nico had absentmindedly listed as an emergency contact years ago when he first started college - Hazel would have been too young, and there was no way he was listing his father, so Seph seemed to make the most sense at the time. His stepmother actually proved to be quite an asset when Mr. D, his therapist whose last name he could never pronounce due to his dyslexia jumbling the words (and he had been seeing Mr. D far too long to ask him to clarify), called Seph to accompany Nico when he was discharged from the hospital. She was the one who had the meetings with his thesis advisor, the dean, and his landlord (some of which Nico knew he was probably present for, but his memory felt fuzzy). She was the one who determined that the best course of action was for Nico to return home under the ‘watchful care’ of her and Nico’s father (Nico _did_ remember scoffing when she used that phrase in association with his father, but after a quick withering look, he shut his mouth for the rest of the meeting).

It was a bit of a gracious gesture, he knew, for Seph to send Hazel when it was time to actually collect his things and move him back. Though he had developed a relatively healthy rapport with his stepmother, even when living farther away, Hazel was his closest confidante and comfort in the family, and Seph must have known that if Nico was truly going to be convinced to move back to Angel River, under the same roof as his father, he needed his sister to pave the way. 

If he thought about it too hard, Nico could see how he would always be someone who needed his sister. _Sisters_ ; the correcting thought sent a familiar, dull ache in his heart. 

“Nico? Are you going to get out of the car or what?” He snapped out of his thoughts, and looked towards Hazel, standing outside his door with her hands on her hips, a quirked eyebrow raised in concern. Having better experience with shifting away from the dark turns his mind took, Nico quickly unbuckled and opened the door of Hazel’s car, inhaling sharply when he stepped outside - how was it so much colder _here_ than when they were going through the mountains? 

“You’re going to need more than a ‘My Chemical Romance’ sweatshirt to stay warm here.” An earthy, mellow voice filled the air, and Nico turned to see his stepmother walking towards him, wearing a long green coat (that probably was worth more than Hazel’s car), though she had simple leggings and a sweatshirt on underneath. 

Nico furrowed his brows and crossed his arms tighter, “This is _not_ a band sweatshirt, and I never liked that band anyway, Seph.” 

“Well, tell that to the hours of my life hearing that ‘black parade’ piano that I still haven't gotten out of my head,” Seph reached out to him and pulled him into a quick hug, despite Nico’s avoidance to touch. She smelled like potting soil and the pomegranate shampoo she had used since the day she moved in with the di Angelos. “You’re looking well, by the way.” She murmured quietly in his ear so no one else would hear. 

“Uh, thanks.” Nico patted her back awkwardly with his arm, thus completing the hug and subtly requesting it to be over. Taking his cue, Seph pulled back and looked towards the car, which looked chaotically full now that Nico was out of it and able to stretch his legs. “So, we can have some of the staff put this away. Your room is all set up for you.” 

“Okay….” Nico wrung his hands, suddenly unsure what to do with them, “Is...he here?” 

Seph gave him a thoughtful look, but she knew Nico was asking about his father. “No, he’s been out checking in on properties and the market set-up. He’ll be here for dinner, though, around 8?” 

“Ah, okay, that’s...good, then.” Nico glanced down, unsure if he should feel relieved or insulted that his father had made himself scarce for his arrival and move-in. It felt easier, he supposed, to choose relief, though it meant the anticipation of seeing him would continue for the next few hours. 

Hades di Angelo came from a long line of property owners in Angel River, with a great-great-great-great relative somewhere in the mix of discovering the mines back when Angel River was first inhabited. While Angel River had a humble local government, they had never really been in need for a mayor - the di Angelo elder at the time became sort of an automatic town selectman, which was good or bad depending on who it was at the time. Hades’ father, Kronos, for example, was pretty bad - Nico was pretty sure he had never been introduced to his grandfather, given that he would have only been a baby when he passed. Hades did not speak much of his upbringing, but the gossip history in Angel River told Nico enough - Hades and his two brothers grew up ruled by fear under their father’s rage and abuse, and they all hightailed it out of town once they were of legal age to do so, making wealth for themselves elsewhere. When Kronos became ill with stomach cancer, however, he communicated with his three sons how the estate would be divided, and this is what brought Hades back - although his two brothers were given large sums of money, Hades inherited the properties, the mansion, and responsibilities that came with keeping Angel River and the family name financially afloat. If he seemed burdened by this, one would never know. Unlike his explosive father, Hades maintained a steady reserved nature over his entire manner, and while that came with a cold edge at times, he seemed relatively passive about such matters. The town didn’t even remember a funeral, though they did remember Hades’ arrival - particularly because, after being away in Italy and who knew where else, he came not only with new art and furniture to revamp the di Angelo home, but two small children at his side, with wide, wary eyes, olive skin, and hair the color of night. 

Though that was so long ago, and Nico was now twenty-five years old, being back at the house flooded his mind with these facts of his family tree, his father’s growing emotional distance, and his childlike observations that never seemed to fade away. As he shuffled behind Seph, Hazel, and Frank, the various house staff swarmed the car and pulled out his only possessions behind him. Nico looked at the gargoyles that were carved into the archway of the door, remembering how he used to sit on the steps with his sister, giving them funny names and trying to imitate their grisly faces. When the large entry door creaked a hello upon entering inside, Nico remembered the many nights he would sneak out to meet his friends, finally learning that the front door was the worst possible place to subtly come and go as he pleased. He learned how to rely on the trellises that grew roses outside his window to help him shimmy down, and he also learned to pick up any petals he knocked loose so Seph would never notice. He thinks now that maybe she did, though, since she often boasted of her sneaking out skills as a teenager, and Nico believed her claims - how else would she have had time to form a high school romance with his father, which made for an easy rekindling years after Hades returned to claim his inheritance and raise two children by himself? 

Nico realized that he had the luxury of the past seven years _not_ having to sneak out of his own home; he had lived alone and came and went as he pleased, not having to answer to anyone except for a few dying plants he struggled to keep alive, and the neighbor’s cat whenever he agreed to watch it. Now, he was moving back in with his parents, and given that it wasn’t a happy return home, Nico wondered if he would have to work on his ability to slip into the shadows when he needed to escape. The thought made him instantly feel incredibly sad and suffocated. 

“So Nico, you know the way to your room, obviously, but given that the staff will be moving you in, I thought you might not mind being in the guest room tonight, and you can settle more properly tomorrow.” Seph gestured down the hall to the right where Nico knew a room with a large bed and its own bathroom waited. Nico also knew this room was on the ground floor, where other common areas of the house were, and he inwardly groaned as he contemplated how he could hide out in there until he could climb the three flights of stairs to his room, an attic-like sanctuary he had chosen once he turned 13 and demanded for more space. He stared down the hall, feeling like his feet were refusing to move. 

After a moment, Seph said, “Hazel, Frank - why don’t you go let Marcella know that you’re back, and let her know dinner should be at 8:30, not 8. Let’s give you all time to get cleaned up and comfortable from your long drive.” 

“Okay! Nico, see you at dinner, alright? Or you can come find me in my room.” Hazel gave Nico a gentle smile, Frank gave him a nod, and they were off down the opposite hall, where Nico knew the kitchen and main living room were. 

Seph reached out and placed a hand lightly on Nico’s shoulder. “Come.” And as she moved, her hand gently pressed him forward to a plush, cream colored room with little Christmas accents, like red velvet pillows and the lingering smell of a peppermint candle. It was completely the opposite of Nico’s style, but he sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do. 

“So, you have a bathroom here, obviously, if you want to wash up, and I’ll have your backpack dropped off outside the door - I know that holds your laptop and more items you’ll need right now.” Seph crossed her arms absentmindedly and looked around the room. “There are blackout curtains, and a TV in the armoire there. Do you need a snack? I forgot to ask when you last ate.” She looked him up and down more carefully now, and Nico shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

“I...I’m fine. I’m just tired. I think I need a nap.” Nico mumbled, looking down and picking at a stray thread on the bed quilt. Actually, he wanted to sleep through an entire year, his arrival in Angel River no longer a novelty to him or others - or a reality, if he was really wishing hard. He missed his small apartment with the odd stain on the kitchen ceiling, the bathroom faucet that dripped, the dining table that was his first piece of furniture bought new, and not thrifted. This felt more and more like the wrong idea the further he got into the house. 

“I’m happy to come back in an hour or so to wake you up - a nap might do you good.” Seph was staring at him still, and Nico could practically hear her brain working away, wanting to ask him questions he didn’t want to answer.

“I have an appointment with Mr. D tomorrow, and I’m taking all my meds.” Nico kept picking at the quilt, “And my temperature is normal.” He saw Seph relax her shoulders, and she gave him a pained smile. After a few more moments of silence, he figured it was his turn to pose a question he didn’t want to ask, but needed to. “What...does Dad know? About what happened?”

“You mean does your father know about how I got a phone call two months ago from your therapist, letting me know you had been hospitalized after getting sick and not telling anyone until your friend got worried enough to break down your door?” Seph sat down beside him on the bed, and let out a sigh. “Not really. He knows you only have your thesis to finish, that you got sick enough to go to the hospital...to be honest, he doesn’t know that stay turned into a 5150, when your doctors suspected you...didn’t really want to get better. I thought that was better for you to tell him, if you wanted.” 

“I wasn’t suicidal, Seph, I told you, I don’t know what I said when I had that fever-” 

“I don’t really know what you said either, Nico, but I think we both know it wasn’t encouraging.” She looked at him sharply. “I believe you, and I know you’ve been away and taking care of yourself for a while now, but it wasn’t working, and your studies and your health were compromised to the point where this became the best option.” It was her turn to pick at the quilt, and she let a sniff escape her. “You don’t know how you looked when I got to you, little bird - I feel much better knowing you’re here, where I can see you trying to get better.” 

At the wobble in her voice, and the nickname from when he was young, Nico’s heart felt like lead, and his nose and eyes burned from trying not to cry - this was the frustrating thing about therapy, he had learned, it made expressing your emotions easier, and the meds made him more open to what he was constantly avoiding in his own head. It didn’t help to hear Seph so sad, to remember how weak he felt in that hospital bed, how confused he was to see her after years away. “I didn’t mean to...I didn’t mean to make you worry.” 

Seph nodded, patted her legs absentmindedly, then stood up. “It’s not a problem, Nico. I just want you to know that...that we care about you. Your father does too, in his own way. He's glad you've come home, after all this time.” 

At the mention of his father, Nico felt his familiar walls smother his need to cry, and he sulked back into his go-to passivity. “Sure. Well. I’m not going to be here long anyway. I’ll get better, finish my thesis and move back. That’s the plan, right?”

Seph looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she just looked at Nico, an unreadable emotion passing through her eyes. “Right - that’s the plan.” She walked to the door quickly, and turned back towards Nico, her hands clasped together. “I’m going to pop into the greenhouse and will come knock when it’s dinnertime. I’ll tell Hazel you’re resting.” 

With a small nod from him, she was gone, and Nico felt exhausted and small. He managed to climb into the bed, pull the covers over his head, and fall into a numbing sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help! This was supposed to be fluffy and then the plot got away from me and demanded more backstory...also no Will yet, argh. Just imagine him waiting behind a bush ready to shower Nico with love and light any second.
> 
> Also I'm not often in a writing mood so I'm cranking out the chapters when they come, and I USUALLY come back and edit them later. I know my writing isn't perfect but I also would never get anything done if I waited until editing to post anything. So if you see a grammar or spelling error, chances are that I will too. If it's annoying, you don't have to read this story! 
> 
> Also I never liked Rick's portrayal of Persephone and very much prefer her to be a stepmother that Nico may have pushed boundaries with at first, but ultimately gets comfort from because Hades is *not great at emotions*. I'm not saying Nico won't miss his mom, but he was so young when she passed away that I think Bianca is his surrogate maternal figure, so he welcomes Persephone (in this AU) relatively well in the long run and doesn't see her as trying to be his mom. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! This is just for fun so if you get a kick out of it that's awesome! I'm not looking to be an expert on these characters, I just want to perpetuate Christmas and small town aesthetics this month, haha.


	3. Rules & Regulations

“I thought we talked about  _ trying _ to be open about this, Nico.” 

“I think that was left pretty undefined, actually.” Nico spat, holding his phone in front of his face but looking away, his chin resting in his free hand. Nico was tucked in the farthest corner of the garden, having a virtual check-in with his therapist the morning after his arrival. There was an old, somewhat ugly tree that determinedly grew through and out and up from the stone walls that created a sort of ‘backyard’ for the estate. Nico would often sit at its trunk growing up, finding it to be a quiet place to think (and, in this case, avoid any eavesdropping on his remote therapy session). After recounting how dinner went the night before, however, Nico’s hushed tones were growing in edge and volume. “I just...he’s got  _ no right _ , he’s just being an ass, as usual-”

“Or maybe he’s just trying to set boundaries. You’ve been away for years, you’re back living under his roof, and he’s probably trying to avoid repeating the same issues that happened before you left.” Mr. D had only been Nico’s therapist for less than a year, but he had ended up being a good fit almost instantly, with his nonchalant way of coaxing Nico into sharing more than he planned, and not being afraid to push back. 

Currently, Nico didn’t like his therapist very much, given that his father absolutely was being unreasonable, and if he wasn’t paying Mr. D to be his number one ally then what was the point?

With an uncanny superpower to peer into Nico’s mind, Mr. D continued, scratching his beard and maintaining a neutral tone. “Nico - you know at the end of the day I’m here for you. And your father has made some mistakes, there’s no doubt about it. But part of being here for you is reminding you that this family rift goes  _ both ways _ , at least from what you’ve told me in our previous sessions. While I may not agree with his delivery, I’m not certain it’s so unreasonable for your father to have his guard up just as much as you do.”

“But a  _ job _ ?  _ Dinner together every week, no exceptions?  _ He’s insane. I’m not doing any work outside of my thesis and I’m not spending any more time with him than I have to.” Nico put the phone down, giving Mr. D a nice view of the tree branches above him, and put his face in his hands and groaned loudly. “He even was pushing for a curfew until Seph popped her head in and said that was a little  _ much _ .” 

“Nico,” Mr. D took a sip out of his thermos; he always seemed to be drinking something even during sessions, “did we think your dad would welcome you home with open arms and tell you he loved you, and all was forgotten? No. But I think you’re working yourself up over some stipulations that are  _ manageable. _ And who knows, a job might help you feel more independent; you’ll make some money to spend on your own, and it’ll get you out of the house.” 

“Yeah, it’ll get me out of the house and running into people from  _ high school _ .” Nico shuddered. 

“I thought you said most people leave Angel River once they’ve graduated?” 

“No, I said most people _come back_ after they leave Angel River, even when they’ve gotten a taste for sanity, better food, and places that stay open past 9pm.” Nico flapped his hands angrily, trying to will himself to believe that he wasn’t about to become one of _those_ _people_ , that this was all _temporary_. “How the hell am I supposed to talk to people I’ve barely seen in seven years? What am I supposed to say when they ask what I’m doing here?” 

That got a chuckle out of Mr. D, and he picked up his phone to give his therapist the most withering glare he could muster at 8:30am (he really needed to convince Mr. D to let him choose a different time slot, though he knew this was a favor to do remote therapy at all). 

“Sorry, sorry, just remembering my own high school reunion and how that came with its fair share of awkwardness. At least, the parts I remember…” He trailed off, and Nico once again felt the itching curiosity about Mr. D’s past and just how much of an alcoholic he might have been (or was? Sometimes it was hard to tell). 

“Look, I know we talked about this ahead of time, and I agreed to do this, and Hazel’s so excited to have me living near here again but…” Nico’s anger had dissipated slightly, but he didn’t want to delve into sadness so close to the end of the call. “I just…I don’t know if I can do this. Being here is hard. Seeing dad and, and things that remind me of Bian -” His breath hitched and his eyes glazed over with tears, and his free hand rushed to pinch the bridge of his nose.  _ No, I am not crying over FaceTime at my childhood home, nope, nope, nope- _

“You’re not crazy, Nico. Of course this is all overwhelming and hard. We always knew it would be.” Mr. D spoke a little softer now, but he didn’t let much silence linger - Nico hated it when it felt quiet for too long in therapy, feeling pressured to fill the void but not having it in him to talk once tears got in the way. “Listen, you’ve been here for less than 24 hours. Maybe the best you can do is go day by day, and not put so much pressure on yourself to feel normal about it all. It’s not about feeling normal - it’s about you taking this time to get better, to work on your thesis, and practice responding better to these narratives we’ve been working on for a while now.” 

Nico sniffed, eyes still pinched shut. “Yeah, I guess...” he said dully. 

“I know we’re coming to the end of our call, but listen - try to look for a little bit of truth, even a small fact, each day. I’m going to start you off for the morning - it’s okay and normal to feel scared right now.” Mr. D leaned back in his chair, and put his hands together thoughtfully. “Perhaps another truth you could fall back on is that you’re over 21, which means it’s perfectly acceptable for you to take a drink to these mandatory Friday night dinners. Or some other  _ legal _ substance, though you didn’t hear that from me.” 

Nico felt his mouth pull into a wobbly smile, and he pushed tears away with the heel of his hand, looking at his therapist once more. “Thanks, Mr. D.” 

“Anytime, kid. We’ll check in next week?” 

“Yup.” 

His phone made a little  _ whomp  _ tone when the call ended, and Nico caught his reflection in the dark mirror of his screen. His hair was reaching his shoulders now, and he still looked pretty gaunt, even after recovering from his hospital stay. Rubbing his eyes again, he sat up, and heaved a sigh, walking back towards the house so he could figure out one thing that felt accomplishable today. Walking around the perimeter of the house, Nico trailed his fingers along the exterior walls, enjoying the feeling of the gritty, cool stone. He passed by a window that looked into his father’s study, though it was empty for now. He didn’t spare it a glance, given that he had been brought in there after a fairly silent dinner last night. Still, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise in anxiety when he remembered how it felt, standing in front of his father’s desk, shifting defensively under his cool gaze. 

\--- _Last Night_ \--- 

_ Nico noticed, when he was called into the study, that he suddenly felt 17 again, on the cusp of breaking away from his father and his study and all of the darkness surrounding them, and he stood rigidly by the entry door, not wanting to go further in. Hades didn’t seem to notice. He had barely spoken to Nico at dinner, given him a small nod and a “You’re looking well.”, but otherwise the conversation was mostly filled by Hazel and Seph, chattering away about the shop and the market and telling Nico where they wanted to take him first.  _

_ “You will get a job. I know you probably don’t think the money is needed, and it’s not, but it’s what’s done around here - you’re far too old for allowances at this point.” Hades swirled his glass of scotch, the roaring fire in his study cracking and popping behind him. He was known to retire to his study after most dinners, but Nico had only ever been brought in when he was being reprimanded. At the mention of a job, he felt his mouth open to protest, but Hades raised his hand quickly, apparently not having lost the knack for cutting Nico off.  _

_ “No excuses. While I admire your efforts to finish your thesis, that is simply not a job. And I don’t want you hiding in the house all day. According to my wife, that’s not what you’re here to do.” He took a long sip of his drink and stared at Nico, then leaned forward in his chair, looking at him intensely.  _

_ “Speaking of, I suppose you’re not going to tell me  _ _ why _ _ you’re actually here? I have my resources, so I know your academics are suffering, but beyond that, it seems Seph and HIPAA aren’t going to relent, even for me. So, care to enlighten me?” _

_ Nico felt his fists slowly clench, and his jaw tightened. The sun long gone meant that the light from the fireplace cast an eerie, shifting glow around his father’s face, and he felt like all it would take was an exhale and the shadows would swallow him whole. “Well Dad, that’s the thing about doctor-patient-confidentiality - even the 1% can’t win that one.” He crossed his arms, and Hades matched his scowl. Nico still felt the intense hatred that came from recognizing how much they looked alike, especially in anger. _

_ “No matter. You’ll tell me when you’re ready, but it would do better for me to know.”  _

_ “Why? Got a reputation to protect?” _

_ Hades’ eyes flashed a warning, but he didn’t take the bait. “I forgot to mention the other things you’ll be needing to do if you’re going to live under my roof again.” He set the glass down, empty now, and the fire popped behind him. “Weeknight dinners have become more of a custom since you’ve been gone. I expect you to be at every one.”  _

_ Nico was so thrown off that he let out what only could be described as an angry squawk. “You can’t be serious.” _

_ “No exceptions.” _

_ “There’s no way I’m doing that.” _

_ “It’s a good way to make sure you’re eating regularly and it’s important to me that you connect with us as a family.” _

_ Nico couldn’t help escaping a snort of laughter. “Oh. That’s rich Dad. What’s next, are we going to go out and play catch in the front yard? Take a Christmas photo with ugly sweaters?”  _

_ “Don’t push your luck - I also thought a curfew would be a good idea. How’s 8:30pm? You come home for dinner, you stay home.” Hades glowered.  _

_ “That...is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t need a curfew.”  _

_ “You did when you got arrested on prom night.” _

_ “Well I’m not 18 anymore, and I’ve been doing fine on my own without curfews and family dinners. And prom. And bonding with my father.” Nico spat. _

_ “Well apparently you haven’t been. And don’t start on me about connecting with family. Where were you when Hazel graduated high school? Or college? When,” and Hades’ hands tightened into fists, “was the last time you visited your mother’s grave? Or Bianca’s?” _

_ Nico felt the blood leave his face and his eyes shut - he hadn’t realized he moved until his face was inches away from his father’s, his hand knocking the glass to the floor, where it shattered loudly. “Don’t. Talk. About. Her.” Hades didn’t even flinch, which felt more infuriating somehow. His teeth were bared and he felt like he could hit Hades, like he could slam them both through the large window outside, the glass cutting into both of their skin as they tumbled into nothingness. Before either could say anything, the door to the study swung open, and light from the main room flooded in, along with Seph.  _

_ “Boys! It hasn’t even been a full day. This won’t do.” She strode into the room and waved in one of the maids, who averted their eyes as they took a small broom and dustpan to gather up the broken glass. Seph sat on Hades’ desk, but she reached out her hand and placed it on Nico’s shoulder. “It’s important that Nico gets better from being ill, and for his studies to take priority. And it’s important to me that neither of you kill each other in the process. So here’s how it will go: _

_ Hades - dinner every weeknight is quite a lot. Let’s say Friday night dinners. God knows you end up eating late from work anyways, and we’re not going to wait around for you just to prove a point. If we survive that once a week, we can throw another night in.  _

_ Nico - no curfew, but nothing stupid either. I know every way out of this house and you always killed my flowers shimmying down every way you could find that wasn’t a normal exit. Stay out late, come home whenever, but use a door.  _

_ And - Nico is going to work at my shop. Yes, Hades, he is,  _ _ stop _ _ looking at me like that. It’s already getting busy with Christmas orders, and I need the help. And Nico, wipe that look off your face too. It’ll be in the back of the shop, you won’t have to serve coffee to tourists and your high school friends. I already told my employee, Will, that he will be training you tomorrow. You’re going to show up and be the most respectful employee you can manage being, and I do  _ _ not _ _ want to hear from Will that you gave him  _ _ any _ _ trouble.”  _

_ Seph looked between the two of them, her speech done, not a hair out of place. She didn’t appear angry, and not once had she yelled, but Nico could see that in her eyes she was daring him or Hades to challenge her. Both men knew better, and Nico chose this moment to stride out of the study, away from his father and the entire situation.  _

\----

Nico realized, when he popped back into the guest room after his therapy session, that he didn’t really have anything to wear to this ‘job’ that Seph had set up for him. When he went in search for his belongings, he was horrified to see that one of the housekeepers had been given the task of washing all eight loads of his laundry. Pleading with her to stop, and then relenting when she gestured apologetically to the entirety of his clothing being washed, dried, or ironed, he groaned and wandered up the stairs and to Hazel’s room. 

He knocked lightly, even though the door was open. Hazel was sitting on her bed, drawing absentmindedly on a little sketchbook. She beamed when she saw him, and got up quickly to give him a hug. “Ah, you’re alive, thank goodness!”

“I take it you overheard my reunion with Dad, then?” Nico hugged her back lightly, and gave her a smirk when she rolled her eyes at him. 

“Overheard, hung outside the door with Mum, I don’t know. Once I heard the glass break I was out - Seph looked like she was going in to murder you both.” She walked back to her bed, gesturing for Nico to sit with her. “It went okay, though...right? All things considered?” Her golden eyes looked over him worriedly. 

“All things considered…I guess it wasn’t our worst moment. There will always be prom night.” He was trying to joke, but Hazel winced a little, so he decided to move on. “Look, Seph decided I’m working at the store for her, but uh, she also decided every single article of clothing not on my body needed a wash so...can I borrow like, a sweater or something? I don’t want to freeze when I walk into town.”

“You’re going to walk? They think it’ll snow later today.” 

“I’ve got boots!” 

“Three-hundred-and-fifty dollar combat boots from AllSaints are not made for snow, Nico.” 

“Hazel, I’ll be fine, I swear. And don’t think I’m not going to see you borrowing these bad boys the moment they’re off my feet. I’ve seen you eyeing them since I bought them two years ago.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Hazel waved him off and pointed to her closet, which Nico walked into and began rummaging around in. To his dismay, he was unable to find anything black, which was his preference, but he did find a grey sweatshirt that was absent of any other color or logo. Holding it up, he looked at her questioningly, and she gave a thumbs up. As he slipped it over his head, Hazel sat up with an “Oh!” and quickly came into the closet with him. 

“I forgot - this is yours.” She ducked under her hanging clothes and began pouring through boxes on her closet floor. “Here.” 

A soft, black bundle was pushed into his hands, and Nico stared down at the leather jacket that was his trademark all of high school. It looked just like it did when he wore it last, down to the little enamel pins he had stuck on the breast pocket (two skulls, one rainbow). 

“How...but, when I left, I got sent my things. This wasn’t in there.” Nico’s throat dried. He had assumed his father had thrown it out, as not everything from Nico’s original room had made it over to him in the city. 

“Well, I think it may have ended up in a giveaway pile, but I couldn’t stand to see it go. I hid it; I wasn’t sure if Dad would be mad about it.” Hazel looked down sadly, “Then, I don’t know, I would visit you in the city and I always thought I should bring it back, but...it kind of was my little piece of you when you left, you know? So I kept it.” She blinked quickly and brought a hand to her cheeks, blushing in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I should have just given it back years ago, it wasn’t mine to keep.” 

“Hazel, it’s okay. At this point I’m just amazed you stole something. Maybe I finally rubbed off on you.” He gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring, and straightened his back, slipping one arm through the jacket and then another. It was like being enveloped by an old friend; it fit just the same, and if he really concentrated hard, he could almost smell the clove cigarettes he used to stash in the inner pocket. “Thank you for keeping it safe. This will be perfect for the walk. Which, by the way, I’ve got to start, or I’ll be late, and I don’t want my trainer to give Seph a bad report.” 

“Okay - well, good luck. The shop is busier than ever, especially since Seph added that bakery and coffeeshop.” Hazel smiled brightly at him, and enveloped Nico in a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re here, big brother. I’ll see you later today? Text me if you need anything.” He nodded, and was off. 

\---- 

Angel River didn’t have a lot of ‘secretive’ ways to go about town, but Nico had long since learned how to lean into the shadows unnoticed. He kept his head down, hair in front of his eyes - he was tempted to take in the activity around him (seeing the Christmas Market get set up for its opening night was exciting to watch) but that would require looking up and around, exposing his familiar face to onlookers. Not that Nico’s goal was ever to be popular, but he knew the estranged, rebellious son of Hades returning home at last would be irresistible to town gossips, and the last thing he needed were a million “How are you’s” and “Where have you been’s” 

He hadn’t recognized the name  _ Will Solace _ when Seph mentioned her employee, which was a relief - as he had told Mr. D, Nico still had quite a few friends from high school still in town, and they didn’t know he was back yet, so the more new people he interacted with, the better. It was possible this Will had heard of Nico one way or another, but Seph was usually pretty tight lipped when she needed to be, and she wasn’t one to air family drama at work. 

Ducking into an alley that he knew led to the back of Seph’s shop, he wandered to the familiar worn, pink doors. When he was little, Seph was the mysterious woman who owned  _ Persephone’s Floral Co. _ , and by the time she was officially his stepmother, she had expanded the business to include a coffee shop and bakery. Normally, in the city, coffee shops were sort of a spectacle destination, with clean white countertops and latte art that you paid $9.50 to be able to drink (but not before you snapped a photo of it). But Seph, though beautiful and captivating in her own ways, always seemed to have a wildness about her, and so the expanded shop became an expansion of dark green walls, heavy and thrifted wooden tables, and bookshelves that had vine-like plants growing up and out of them. Nico actually loved that part of the shop, but not so much in the Christmas season; in normal times, it was easy to sink into a comfortable chair and do your homework, or chat quietly with a friend, but the Christmas Market brought droves of tourists and locals who demanded custom wreaths, florals, and baked goods, so there wasn’t really a time the shop wasn’t swamped. He was thankful he would be in the back, away from customers and inquisitive looks. 

Standing outside the door, he gave it two knocks, and waited. After a few moments, he realized that he actually didn’t know where he was supposed to meet this Will - was he actually supposed to go in the front? Was it inappropriate to enter through the back, like something a douchey ‘stepson of the owner’ would do? His head swirled with the sudden anxiety, and, once he felt stupid for realizing about five minutes had passed of him just  _ standing there _ , he knocked again, slightly harder this time. 

“Come in!” A muffled voice, but Nico caught the words. He pushed the heavy door and stepped inside. His vision was met with stacks of pink boxes, taller than he was by a few feet, and his nose filled with an array of peppermint, chocolate, caramel, and pine. The back room was also incredibly  _ warm _ , warmer than what seemed normal for a regularly heated room. Nico felt like his senses got their dials turned all the way up, and he looked around, almost forgetting that there was someone he was supposed to meet in all this chaos. 

“Uh, hello?” He called out. He heard some footsteps headed his way, beyond the mountain of pink boxes, but there was suddenly a noise, a startled “Oops!”, and a cacophony of pans clanging to the floor. Nico barely had time to react before the pile of boxes came tumbling down upon his head, and he slipped to the ground, startled.

“Ohhh sorry! They’re all empty! I like to set them up before I have to stuff them with all the orders! Sorry, sorry, here, let me -”

“I’m fine.” Nico said gruffly, flat on his back, trying to get up from being buried in pastry boxes, trying to sit himself upright and get his hands and legs to a better position to hoist himself up. 

“Here, got you!” Warm, calloused hands enveloped Nico’s, and he felt himself being lifted with ease to a standing position. Before he had a chance to yank his hands away, ready to make a biting comment about  _ non consensual touching _ , he looked up into the bluest eyes he had ever seen, and lost his ability to speak for a full ten seconds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy look, Will made it *flees*
> 
> Also yes Friday Night Dinners is Gilmore Girls I couldn’t resist xD


	4. Ten Seconds and Then Some

Ten seconds was a long time to lose all communicative functioning, but given the work Nico’s brain was putting in, it was understandable.

1…

_Warm hands. Blue eyes._

2…

_Wow, blue. Blue-blue-blue. Like the sky. Flecks of gray and green._

3…

_Freckles? They’re everywhere. Splashed across his nose, his cheeks. One sneaky one just above his lip._

4…

_Don’t look at his lips, look up, look up._

5…

_Wow, that nose. So cute. Can you write poetry about a nose?_

6… 

_And that hair. It’s like gold. Is he in front of a light?_

7…

_This is the most light-filled man I’ve ever seen. I’m looking at the sun._

8…

_Yes, sunshine. That explains the warmth, the blue, the yellows and gold. He’s like a sunrise._

9…

_Did he say something? Are we still holding hands?_

10…

_He definitely said something. Look at that face. It’s the face of someone who has finished their turn talking. Speak, Nico, speak._

“Huh?” Nico said intelligently. He felt his face grow warm. 

_Brilliantly done, Nico._

“I said, are you okay? You didn’t hit your head did you?” The boy frowned, and Nico felt a strong desire to put his fingers right between his eyebrows to soothe out the furrow that appeared. He suppressed it immediately, especially when his hand twitched, and he looked down to see they were still in the boy’s hands. Horrified, he tried to pull them away, but the boy had a pretty strong grip, looking at him with concern now. 

“Look, I’m not totally a doctor, but I’ve got medical training and if you’re concussed I’m going to need you to sit down. Let me see your pupils-” He released one of his hands and put it on the back of Nico’s neck, leaning closer, presumably to get a better look at Nico’s eyes. 

“I-No, I’m fine!” Nico felt like his face was on fire, and the hand on the back of his neck was not helping. At least it sparked the synapses in his brain to fire up more quickly, and he pulled back sharply, choosing a glare to hopefully ward off further closeness. “I just - you really shouldn’t stack these boxes so high. Clearly it’s a safety hazard.” 

After a few beats, the sun-filled boy’s worry melted away, and he smiled gently, though Nico thought he detected some mirth behind those blue eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind. Though to be fair, you would think paper boxes that weigh a few grams wouldn’t be threatening to most people.”

Nico decided to double down on his frown in response to the boy smiling. “I’m not _threatened_ , just...I could have been anybody. A customer, even. It’s not great business to have things in so much disarray.”

“If you were a customer, I’d like to think you’d go into the front of the store? Most people don’t even know we have the workroom in the back.” With a glance downwards, both of their feet covered in boxes, the boy’s smile deepened. “You know, whoever you are, this is probably the moment we fall in love.” 

Nico’s heart stopped and his brain checked out again. “Wha-what?”

“In a movie, you know? It's perfect." The boy's eyes widened seriously. "The mysterious goth boy comes to the back of the bakery and clumsily stumbles into a pile of boxes?” He lifted his hand, which to Nico’s shock, still held one of his, “And I, the handsome baker, lift you out of your mess and we gaze into each other’s eyes, our lives forever changed by this moment? Tell me you haven’t seen this movie trope. I can name five, myself.”

Pulling back his hand as if it was burned, Nico crossed his arms and sputtered out unintelligible sentences.

“I - I’m not - I didn’t -” His hands rushed to cover his eyes in exasperation. “I don’t really watch a lot of movies,” He peeked over at the boy, feeling annoyance continue to build, “and _you_ tripped over something _first_. This is clearly your fault.”

“Relax, Dark-and-Stormy, I’m just messing with you. Though maybe I need to give you some movie recommendations, given it's the Christmas season and all.” The boy raised his hands in mock surrender, then placed them on his hips. Before Nico could express his distaste over the nickname, he continued. “What _are_ you doing here? Besides messing up everything I set up this morning? Are you actually a customer?”

“No, no, I’m - I’m supposed to work here. Seph is my stepmother, she said Will Solace was going to show me the ropes…?” Nico scratched the back of his head and looked around, feeling awkward. He saw that beyond the boxes, there was an extensive kitchen with a few bakery ovens and a table cluttered with sugar, flower, and dirtied bowls and mixing utensils. Glancing back, he noticed the blonde was wearing a thick apron over a bright orange shirt and jeans, and bits of his shaggy hair had been pulled into a tiny bun on top of his head. His face and hands were dusted with flour and bits of dough. _Cute_ , Nico thought involuntarily, and he made a mental note to kick himself later. 

The sunny boy barked out a laugh; it was a lovely sound that gave Nico a start, but the good kind, like when you jump into a pool after a long, hot day. “Well, you’re looking at him. Hi, I’m Will.” He extended a hand, which Nico stared at. “I guess we’ve had enough hand holding for today?” He seemed delighted at Nico’s discomfort, which made Nico reach out and swat his hand away.

“Ugh! Listen, if you’re actually Will, you’re supposed to give me stuff to do. Are you going to do that or not?” Nico snapped, but Will didn’t seem fazed. He put his hands behind his back, and gave a little hum, as if thinking through all the possibilities in his head. 

“Well, I’ve got to finish this set of cookies for the front - how about I do that, wash up, and you can start by cleaning up all the boxes you just knocked over?” With a grin, he turned on his heel and went back towards the table, which Nico know could see included baking pans where globs of cookie dough were sitting.

“Fine,” he huffed, and he peeled off his jacket, remembering how warm he was, and tossed it on a chair he noticed by the door. “Don’t expect me to stack them so high again - I can already tell you’re in need of some serious re-organizing.”

“Just don’t forget to ask me if the items you want to move spark joy for me or not.” Will was focused on his remaining bowl of cookie dough, using what looked like an ice cream scooper to put more contents on the pan. “I wouldn’t want you to throw off my flow in here, just because you’re my boss' son.” 

“ _Step_ son," Nico corrected, though he wasn't sure why, "Yeah, I can really tell the flow is working for you. Especially when you have all these bowls and pans in perfect position to knock on the floor when you’re trying to greet your trainee.” Nico rolled his eyes when, in an effort to pick up some boxes, he found the dishware that had made the initial startling sounds when he got to the back of the bakery. 

“Mhmm. So, Seph said you moved from the city?” Will was walking a tray over to an oven, and pulled out a finished batch of cookies before closing the door. “What brought you back to Angel River?”

Suddenly feeling the need to get out of the bakery as fast as possible, Nico decided to pretend not to hear Will, and instead became very focused on finding boxes that were crushed and no longer usable. He heard a light chuckle from Will’s corner of the room, and then, suddenly, the area filled with a familiar guitar strum and drum beat.

“ _It feels like the perfect night,”_

“Hope you like Taylor Swift while we work, Stormy!” Will hollered as he lifted up his phone, clearly turning the volume up before getting back to his tasks. "Oh, also, forgot to mention you gotta wear the uniform!" He gestured to the corner of the table closest to Nico, where there was a neatly folded apron and bright orange t-shirt to match Will's. Nico registered that the shirt had a picture of a smiling cookie on it, which seemed to mock him. He looked at Will in horror, and Will just gave a sly wink and got back to working. 

Nico’s mouth set in a hard line, and glared at the shirt, and the mess in front of him.

_This is going to be a long day..._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was worth the wait for Will. I was certainly glad to see him finally, hahaha. 
> 
> I stand by Will being a Taylor Swift fan. Also there's an absolutely hilarious scene from "Sex & the City" when Carrie says that "if this were a movie, we'd fall in love" line, and the man gives her such a weird look that I laugh every time. I felt like Will would say something similar.


	5. Cookies & Chariots

Nico wasn’t sure which was worse - the shirt or the music.

He decided that the orange shirt, though absolutely awful, was manageable, given that he was working in the back and the only person that had to see him in it was Will. The music, however, got old quickly - Will had somehow managed to create a horrible Spotify concoction of Top 40 songs, Christmas classics, and some errant Disney tunes that Nico only vaguely recognized. Even worse was that Will _sang along_ to everything. He wasn’t a terrible singer, but after about an hour, was starting to feel like his head would never be able to compose an original thought again; all that existed now was a loop of the blonde boy belting out to “Last Christmas” and various pop beats and chimes. 

When the music finally died down, Nico had moved on to rearranging a few shelves of various baking and decorative supplies behind him, having put the pink boxes back in order. Will was still in the throes of mixing and measuring and singing, so Nico figured if he kept at organizing, he wouldn’t have to interrupt.

Eventually though, the music quieted, and Nico didn’t have time to turn before a voice suddenly startled him out of his thoughts. 

“What are you doing?”

Nico turned, balancing a stack of mixing bowls in his hands. “Uh...cleaning up?” 

Will was not looking at him, but at the bowls in Nico’s hands. With a small gasp, his eyes widened and he turned to the large shelves just in front of Nico, swinging his head around to look at the various (neatly placed, Nico thought), tools.

“What - _did you reorganize my shelves_?” He looked at Nico, blue eyes darkening, which Nico found akin to a cloud passing over the sunshine. 

He shifted his weight (the bowls were starting to get heavy), and looked down, feeling a small sense of dread. “Yes?” He winced when Will let out a small shriek.

“ _I have these organized very specifically!”_ Will reached out and snatched all the bowls from Nico, running over to a spot on a high shelf where he shoved things away to place them. “I’m never going to be able to find _anything_ this way!” 

“...Sorry?” Nico took a few steps back from the shelves; Will had started pacing back and forth, grabbing random objects and putting them in new homes. As he watched his work being undone, however, Nico realized he wasn’t really _that_ sorry, and a small frown crossed his face. “It’s just...it didn’t seem very _organized_ , if you’re asking me-”

“Well, no one _was_ asking you to!” Will snapped as he held a decorative piece of pine in his left hand, and a wooden spoon in his right. He seemed to be trying to remember the original set up, in vain, and groaned. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were done with the boxes? I would have given you something else to do!

“Well _sorry_ , you seemed preoccupied and I’m here to work, not bop along to ridiculous music all day.” Nico huffed, and crossed his arms. Will gave him a withering look and began gesturing widely towards Nico; Nico had to duck as Will was still holding the spoon.

“Do _not_ mock the Spotify playlist,” Will said, and he set the spoon on a nearby table, giving up trying to find its proper home. “Argh, this is going to take me all day to fix, I just know it. It took me months to fine tune this set up.” He was whining now, which made Nico decide that he was absolutely _not_ sorry at all, not even a bit. 

“Look, no one would be able to find anything in the set up you had. It was so haphazard. Who puts paint next to the frosting bags?”

“ _That’s edible paint_ .” Will had his face in his hands. “It’s for decorating the snowman cookies, or the ones that look like little houses, _after I do the icing base_.” He huffed, then waved his hands, almost as if to shake off the whole ordeal. “Look, it’s fine, it’s fine, I’m just - it takes me a while to figure out a flow that works for me. Otherwise I just know I’m going to forget stuff.”

Nico felt his frown fade. “Oh.” He began picking at one of his nails. “I didn’t realize, I’m sorry. I was just...trying not to bother you, I guess.” 

He was looking down, so he didn’t see Will’s face transition into a smile, but he did feel the warm hand on his shoulder. “Ah, it’s fine. I’m being dramatic. I just was surprised; who knew my trainee was going to be such a handful?”

Nico looked at Will, feeling his face turning red. He shrugged his shoulder away from Will’s hand, and rolled his eyes. “Okay, whatever. Guilt trip received.” 

Will laughed, and looked around the room. “Well, maybe a better way to make sure you learn your lesson is to have you shadow me. You’re on strict probation from now on with any project; no taking the lead without my orders.”

“Orders?”

“Yup. I’m going to reorganize the shelves with you over the next _week,_ so you learn where things should actually go. Till then, you’re my personal runner and assistant.” Will’s smile deepened into what felt like a mischievous grin; Nico was reminded of his friend Reyna’s dogs whenever they had stolen something from the kitchen that they shouldn’t have. “Come on then - you’re helping me. Start to finish.” Will strode over to his messy table and pointed over to the shelves. “And, since you know where everything is now, bring me...a medium box, the blue wrapping paper, and oh...maybe the silver string, and some of that holly.”

Nico gathered the supplies in his arms, and laid them out on a clean table. He looked towards Will, who tossed him something. Upon catching it, Nico realized it was a wet rag. 

“I think maybe you’re too novice to do any wrapping, so you can clean up my baking station?” Will grinned and gestured to where he had been working for the past hour. There was an abundance of messy bowls, a heavy mixer, and various powdered sugars and flours everywhere. Suppressing a sigh, Nico wandered over and began tidying up as best as he could. 

“So - are you in school?” Will looked over at him, arms holding a large tray of snowflake cookies and cupcakes, all in shades of white and blue. He must have gotten it from the other side of the stockroom. 

“Yeah, something like that.” Nico said softly, staring at the table as he cleared some spoons and a whisk, dumping them in a nearby sink. When he noticed Will looking at him questioningly, he shrugged and answered, “I just have my thesis left, so I don’t really...need to be there. Saves money.” He hoped that his go-to answer was enough to stave off Will’s questions about why he was back in Angel River. He could feel prickles of anxiety beginning to form in his stomach. 

“Wow,” Will whistled as he deftly placed the goodies into a few boxes, “I don’t think I could ever do that. Writing isn't really my strong suit. Even my handwriting is terrible.” He offered a 100-watt grin that made Nico blush, and then duck under the table, pretending to grab something. 

“What’s your thesis on?”

Nico felt his lips harden in a tight line. “To be determined,” he said stiffly, “I had a topic, but it...didn’t really work out.”  
  


“What was it? I’m pretty good at the whole brainstorming thing; my mom always said I was great at puzzles-” 

“ _No thanks_.” Nico hadn’t just surprised himself with his curt interjection; Will’s eyes widened a bit and his smile faded back to neutral (which it seemed, for Will, was still sort of a resting cheery look). He focused on taping corners of wrapping paper to the box, and then cutting ribbon, and Nico began washing a bowl. By the time he got to work on everything else in the sink, Will called him over. 

“I need you to hold the ribbon, here, if you don’t mind - perfect.” Will had grabbed Nico’s hand and placed one of his long fingers in the center of the box, over the criss-crossing ribbon.

“I used to be in medical school.” Will said suddenly, not looking at Nico and instead focusing on looping a bow over Nico’s finger. Without asking, he shifted the next wrapped box over and gestured for Nico’s hand again; Nico placed his finger in the same spot, finding himself eager to hear more. 

“I ended up having to take time off, which I know is super normal for a lot of people. Still, I always feel a little embarrassed about stopping my studies - I didn’t have very much left before I could go out into the field, you know?” Will tightened the second bow, and they moved on to the third and final box. “Anyway, sorry for prying - everyone’s got their reasons for coming here, and it’s not my privilege to know. I think I just go a little crazy back here during my shifts; I don’t have a ton of social interaction until I go out on deliveries or help run the Market table.” 

Nico stared down at the halo of Will’s golden hair, feeling his stomach twist in guilt for being so curt with him. He racked his brain on what he could say back. 

“It’s about death.” He said it so quickly and lightly that it was almost a whisper. Will looked up, surprised, but Nico continued before he lost his resolve. “My thesis. It’s on death - loss, grieving, funeral practices and culture, stuff like that.” 

“Oh.” Will’s eyebrows drew together and he looked like he had a million questions, but he closed his mouth, looking at Nico to continue. Realizing that he didn’t have anything else to share on the matter, however, all Nico could do was give what he hoped looked like a polite shrug. Will looked back down at the wrapped goods, adorned with bits of tinsel and holly. 

“Do you want to come with me on the deliveries?” Will said, his tone switching back to bright and chipper. 

Nico blinked. “Sorry?”

“Deliveries. They’re part of the gig - people are ordering a ton of stuff this month. Seph’s had a back order for weeks now for her floral and wreath arrangements. Normally we would just have people come do pickups but on Fridays we drop off.” Will stuck his thumb behind him towards the door. “I keep my truck out back; if you come with I’d be happy to give you a ride home when we’re done.” 

“Uh...sure, okay.” Nico glanced at the time on his phone and sighed. “I just, I have to be back by 6pm. I’ve got a thing.”

“Wow, Mr. Popular.”

“Mr. Oppressed, more like it.” Nico grumbled and crossed his arms. “Mandatory Friday family dinners. No exceptions.” 

Will smiled. “Sounds nice, honestly.” He laughed when Nico gave him a deadpan stare. “Okay, okay, to each their own. Come on then, it’s already 5 - I bet I can get you to do one and then I’ll let you free. I don’t want Seph turning you into a pumpkin or dandelion or something for being late.” 

\---

“Here she is, my golden chariot.” Will swooped his arms in grandeur towards a very worn down yellow truck. 

“Is...is this safe?” Nico pointed to the vehicle, specifically at the large dent that was on the passenger’s side. 

“ _That_ was not my fault. You lend your car out once to help someone move…” Will shook his head with a dramatic _tsk_ , and opened Nico’s door for him, but not before carefully placing the silver packages in the middle of the seat. Nico clambered up, still feeling a bit unsure about the truck’s safety but figuring it was better than walking home - the sun was already setting, and Angel River was getting it’s usual deep chill that came in the evening. It was only a matter of time before it started snowing. 

“So, were you a fan of the Christmas Market when you lived here?” Will started the car with a few more cranks of the ignition than Nico felt confident in, but eventually the truck ricocheted into a gravelly purr and they were off. Will at least seemed to be the sort of driver who kept his eyes on the road and was generous with his turn signal, so Nico willed his body to relax just a fraction.

“Uh, kind of. My sister Hazel always loved it, and we would both help Seph with things when she would table there.” Nico peered out the window, noting how the string of lights were already twinkling, and at the end of main street was a large, looming tree. The first night of the market always started a little later in the evening; there was free hot chocolate and Christmas cake, and the entire town would come through to see the giant Christmas tree be lit for the first time. Nico told Will as much as they turned from the downtown streets into quieter, more spaced out neighborhoods. “I guess I always liked the tree lighting because it’s a nice way to start out the season - and it was always mostly locals still so it wasn’t super touristy, though maybe that’s changed.”

“I’m really excited to see it. I’ve only been here since August so this will be my first one.” With a grin, Will handed Nico an ipod that was connected to the radio by an auxiliary cord. “Put on some music? You can choose.”

“Wow, an ipod. So analog.” Nico mused as he thumbed over the wheel of the little device, smiling when he heard the _click-click-click_ he hadn’t known he missed. 

“Hey, we can’t all afford phones that let us make calls _and_ store our music too.” He tapped the steering wheel absentmindedly when Nico finally relented and picked some band he hadn’t heard of but had nice song titles. 

“So,” Will asked, “Are you going to the tree lighting tonight then?”

“Oh, uh, no...No, I don’t think so. I’ll be busy.” 

“But you said it’s your favorite part!”

“W-well yeah and it’s also been seven years since I’ve seen it and I’ve been just fine! What’s another year?”

“That’s it. You’re coming with me to it.”  
  
“No, I’m not.”

“Come on! I’ve never been! And I’m new, you should show me the local customs - it’s the hospitable thing to do.” Will sniffed as if he was offended that Nico hadn’t come up with the idea himself. 

“I-I’m not _showing_ you around! You’re clearly doing fine, you’ve lived here for months, you’re employed. I only just got here. And I can tell you right now there’s nothing special about the town that’s actually worth showing you, anyway.”

“Be careful, Death Boy, I might take you up on that challenge.”

“....What did you just call me?”

  
“Death Boy! It works on many levels - one, your thesis, two, your obvious obsession with skulls, three, you wearing as much black as you can, four-”

“ _Don’t call me Death Boy_.” Nico’s face was turning red, he knew it, which he felt weakened his rejection of the nickname. Will only seemed to be further amused. 

“Well what am I supposed to call you? You never even told me your name.”

“What? Yes I did, we met like three hours ago-”

“ _Yes_ , and I said ‘Hi I’m Will’ and you stared at my hand, got all huffy, and demanded to be put to work.” Will looked at Nico, his blue eyes sparkling with delight. 

“I...I...uh.” Nico stuttered, recounting the events from meeting Will, realizing with horror that he _didn’t_ actually introduce himself, outside of being “Seph’s stepson”. Had Seph not used his name?? Why hadn’t Will asked? 

“I’ve been waiting this whole time for you to realize it and you’ve yet to notice. For a grad student, you’re a little dumb.” Will reached out his hand and poked Nico towards his forehead, which he felt deeply offended by.

“Geez. See if I tell you my name, then.” 

“Oh, I’ll learn your name. I have no doubt about that. But I’ll go easy on you. I thought we could do 20 questions, all very friendly surface-level get-to-know-you stuff. I figure I owe you that since I accidentally grilled you upon your arrival to work.” Will looked over at Nico, still beaming. “Maybe your name can be question number 20? If you come to the tree lighting we can knock this all out in one day. And - we’re here, by the way.” 

Nico felt the car jolt to a halt, and looked up in alarm, taking in the house in front of them. He had been so busy bantering with Will that he hadn’t been watching where they were going. Remembering the blue theme of the sweets that Will wrapped back at the shop, Nico realized he should have known. In fact, maybe _Will knew_?

“Is this a joke?” He turned to Will fully, scowling at him. It took Will a moment to register that Nico was actually bothered, and his joyful expression melted away. 

“Is what a joke?”

“Did you bring me here on purpose? Did Seph ask you to do this? God, I’m going to kill her-”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Will frowned, and Nico huffed, scrambling to get his seatbelt off, and leapt down from the truck quickly. “Hey! What’s your problem?” Will followed after him, holding the package that was owed to the humble but cozy home in front of them, the twinkling blue lights on a Christmas tree visible from the front window. 

“I can’t be here right now, I have to leave.” Nico zipped up his jacket, fully aware of how freezing it was, and made to walk, maybe run, down the street, but Will caught his arm and yanked him back.

“Why are you leaving? I can give you a ride home, I don’t understand what's happening.”

“You don’t have to understand, I just need to leave-”

“Not until you tell me what’s up, Death Boy. Also, it’s freezing out, you can’t walk-”

“ _Don’t_ call me that, Will, now let me go-”

“Nico?”

Nico’s tussle with Will halted immediately, and he felt his entire body freeze. It had been years since he had heard that voice, but one never really could forget a voice so imprinted in your childhood, a voice that swirled with memories of green eyes, many rounds of capture the flag, summer camp, and blue birthday cake…

He turned back towards the house, even though every muscle in his body screamed at him to flee, and looked right in the stunned face of his friend, Percy Jackson. 

Correction - _former_ friend, Percy Jackson.

Will looked back and forth between the two of them, obviously confused, and opened his mouth, about to say something. Nico didn’t want to stick around any longer though.

“Hi Percy. Cookie delivery. Bye.” Nico spat out the awkwardly constructed greeting from his brain and turned on his heel, practically sprinting away into the cold and dark night. He only heard Will call after him once. 

He had made it back to the downtown area, when he realized he had left his cellphone in Will’s car. 

Whatever. He could get a new phone. _Especially since I can’t seem to get a new life_ , he thought, as he wrapped his arms tighter around himself and stalked back to his childhood home, in the town that he wished he had still escaped from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy sorry if it's obvious this is unedited - I couldn't wait to post. And we're getting into the town slowly but surely. Hi Percy!
> 
> Also should I switch to Will’s POV? I dunno I dunno. I think this is likely just gonna be Nico but thought I’d just put that thought out there because who doesn’t love Will?


	6. Not-So-Erased Memories

“Hey, wait!” Will reached out his hand lamely, watching Nico disappear into the darkness. He felt utterly confused; he thought he might have gotten his new recruit to warm up to him, finally, and then he was closed off again, his face guarded. Looking towards Percy, who looked equally if not more shaken, Will realized he was still holding the package meant for delivery.

“Percy - uh, these are for Sally. She ordered them earlier this week.” He held up the box, and Percy strode forward to face Will.

“She’s out with Paul - they went early to help with the market stuff. Will, what the hell? How do you know Nico? What’s he doing here?” Percy snatched the box from Will’s fingers, eyes darting around as if Nico would reappear suddenly from the shadows. 

“Nico…?” Will played with how the name sounded on his lips. It sounded...angelic, and foreign, almost. It made Will think of the slight lilt to Nico’s voice, wondering if he had some Italian in him. He had assumed that Nico was from Angel River, born and raised, but maybe not - Will certainly hadn’t seen anyone else in Angel River with the same raven hair, olive-toned skin, and small, secretive smiles. 

“Nico di Angelo. Son of Hades. Practically my cousin? Hello?” Will’s ruminations on Nico’s appearance and name were interrupted by Percy waving a hand in his face. He frowned - he liked Percy, and if Will owed anyone anything in Angel River, Percy was high up on the list, but he could definitely be...a lot (which Will thought was saying something, given that he had his own tendencies to be a lot, at least according to his best friends). 

Still. Will liked Nico. He liked him the moment he pulled him out of the plethora of pink boxes back in the shop, secretly delighted by how the smaller boy’s long, cool fingers felt in his hands. Recounting how private Nico seemed to be when pressed, Will suddenly felt protective of his new friend. Well - if he could call him a friend. Will was quick to make friends but didn’t get the impression that Nico was the same. 

“He works with me. What’s your deal?” Will crossed his arms. “If he’s your cousin, you know more than me - I’m new in town, remember?”

Percy let out a sigh mixed with a bitter laugh. “Yeah well - we’re not actually cousins, but we grew up together and felt like family. At least we used to...if it wasn’t obvious, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him.” He looked up at Will now, his green eyes looking remarkably sad. “I keep forgetting you’re not from around here. I think you just fit in so well I’ve been forgetting that you weren’t in Angel River this whole time, too.” 

Will shifted uncomfortably and looked at his sneakers - though he was quick to dish out affirmations, Will actually felt quite shy at anything resembling a compliment, and being told he felt like a local in Angel River was pretty high up there for praise, in his mind. Still, Percy was right, there was a lot Will didn’t know, and after Nico had run off so suddenly, he felt eager to put the puzzle together, less wary of Percy now. 

“Look, I only just met him today. Seph told me that her stepson was moving back, and needed a job, so...I don’t know much. He’s working on a thesis, seems a little standoffish but not inherently mean or anything.” He shrugged. “I wish I could say more - you both seemed pretty thrown off to see each other.” 

“Standoffish, huh? Yeah that’s Nico.” Percy chuckled, though the smile still didn’t reach his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry, it’s...it’s complicated. The story is really only half of mine to tell, and even then, there’s a lot Nico hasn’t exactly let me in on.” He ran his fingers through his hair, and suddenly looked up, a new light in his eyes. “Maybe this would be a good chance though, for us. I tried reaching him for a while after he moved but gave up. He can’t avoid me here, though.”

Will internally bristled when Percy referred to himself and Nico as an ‘ us’ , even though he knew Percy was incredibly straight as they came (there was the pretty fiancé and the consistent jock-energy to prove it). Pushing that feeling down, Will let out a sigh. He didn’t think he would get much out of Percy at this point, as he could see the boy was already lost in thought. 

“Well, uh...look, I’ve got two more deliveries to make. Sorry for any weirdness, but I’ve gotta go. Give those to Sally for me? Even though they’re clearly for you.” Will nodded towards the package and Percy nodded quickly. 

“Yeah, thanks man and hey - are Annabeth and I going to see you at the tree lighting? It’s in a few hours and it’s a good Angel River tradition to be a part of.”

Will smiled, though his heart wasn’t in it, realizing that he had invited Nico and had lost his chance to fully convince him. Still, he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see something so charming and continue to interact with the town. “Sure - yeah I’ll probably meet you there. I gotta change into warmer clothes.”

“Well look, if you’re still at your cabin around 8, we can just leave together. Annabeth was saying she’s missed seeing you around since you got the bakery gig.” 

“Sure, sure. I’ll keep an eye out for you guys.”   
  
“Alright, neighbor - see you in a bit. Thanks for the cookies!” Will had wandered to the door of his truck, about to step in when Percy called out once more. “Hey Will? Uh, can you do me a favor and not...I don’t know when you’re seeing Nico next but...I don’t know, I don’t want to make him more uncomfortable, and-”

“I’ll let you two figure it out. Scout’s honor.” Will sent Percy a polite smile. “Not my business anyway.” He saw Percy’s shoulders sag with relief and began working on starting his truck, and tried to decide which house to deliver to next. 

Still, as he pulled into the McLean’s driveway, he couldn’t keep his mind off Nico, and when he would see him again, if he could see him again - he wasn’t sure if any of the negative energy and bolting was actually directed at Will, but he felt a prick of concern that Nico wouldn’t come in for any future shifts at the bakery. ‘It’s not like he needs the money’, Will mused, as he reached for the box of cupcakes that his friend Piper had ordered, ‘And I don’t really have a way of getting a hold of him.’ 

When he grabbed the correct box, he noticed, with wide eyes, that a phone was hiding, just so, in the small nook where the seatbelt buckle was - an easy place to catch all that slipped out of someone’s pocket, and in this case, Nico’s. 

His mouth forming a small ‘o’ of intrigue, Will picked up the phone delicately, as if he could break it, and stared at the blank screen in front of him. He couldn’t ignore the little butterflies that seemed to lift his spirits. 

_Well_ , he thought, as he tucked the phone safely in his glove compartment, locking it with his key for extra precaution, _Maybe I’ll see him at least one more time_. And he swung out of the car and made for Piper’s front door. 

\--- 

“Nico, where have you been? We were expecting you at six - did you _walk_ home?” Seph was moving towards Nico in the entryway quickly, hands reaching for his cold face. He flinched and pulled away, trying to move past her. 

“ _Yes_ . And I lost my phone. Sorry.” He grunted, not really sorry at all. This was a theme for today, he noticed - no real guilt had reached his heart until Will had shared about dropping out of med school. Otherwise he didn’t really think he should feel bad about anything - this was _his_ crappy situation he had to live through, after all. 

Seph was frowning, following him still. “I had told Will you would probably need a ride home. He had said that would be fine. Did something happen?” Nico was ascending the stairs, and she managed to land a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back. “What’s wrong, little bird?”

“You know what? I’m getting really _sick_ of all the _nicknames_ today,” Nico snapped, his lips curling into a frustrated snarl as he pulled away from Seph yet again, “I’m not 12 anymore. And I need to change, and I’m hoping that all of my clothes that were hijacked by the staff are back in my room now? Or do I have to wear this damn orange shirt all evening?”

Seph frowned, crossing her arms but not looking at all scared by Nico’s outburst. “All of your things are in your room now. Your father is running late anyway - I texted you but your phone must have been gone then.” She turned away quickly down the stairs, heading towards the large living and dining room down the hall. “Be down shortly, please, Nico.” 

Nico’s heart sank hearing Seph use his name. He hadn’t meant to unleash all of his anger out on her, but like so many of Nico’s outbursts, it didn’t really matter who it was; whoever happened to be present often got the brunt of it. He sighed as he worked his way up the stairs, his legs weary from walking and his body still not warmed up yet from the walk. 

He realized, with a start, that he had automatically led himself to his childhood bedroom, and his hand froze on the doorknob. Hades had shipped him most things when he moved out years ago, but he also knew his father probably _threw away_ lots of things too, and Nico suddenly felt unsure of just what he would be walking into - a landmine of discarded memories, or a clean slate void of Nico’s existence in this home? 

He shivered, and decided warming his body heat was more important than being afraid to enter his room. It was _his room_ , anyway. He could always change whatever Seph or Hades had thrown in there. 

The door gave out a familiar creak, and with a quick inhale, Nico stepped into his room. 

He was surprised to see that the room actually looked familiar. He could tell the walls had been painted, and clearly the glow-in-the-dark stars that he had managed to stick all over the ceiling had been scraped off. The bed at the opposite wall of the entrance was definitely new, and bigger, but it had sheets that looked like the ones he had in the city. Long, dark curtains hung in front of the large window that took up a large part of the far right wall; Nico’s room was on the corner of the house that got the least light in the morning, which he was always grateful for growing up. It also meant it was the best window to look out for stargazing, as it had a built in window seat. The wooden dresser was the same from his teenage years, but it had been polished and painted a dark green, nearly black if you looked at it too quickly. Various potted plants were arranged neatly in the room, including a very luxurious potted plant hanging from the ceiling, just above a cozy armchair in the far right corner. A large bookshelf had also been brought up at some point, where all the books Nico could fit into Hazel’s car were arranged. He was stunned to feel like the room had somehow stayed his. 

What really drew Nico in, however, were the frames hanging in a gallery arrangement over his dresser. He slipped off his boots (there was also a huge area rug that he quickly realized was amazingly soft to walk on), his eyes locked on the images before him. 

Framed photos from his apartment were arranged neatly on top of the dresser, amidst some other random trinkets that Nico had acquired over the years (a crystal skull, a fancy wooden box to hold his Mythomagic card collection, and some enamel pins he liked to change out from his bags and jackets every now and then). Those photos were from his apartment, prints he managed to snag when he left in the dead of night long ago. Those photos he was used to - there were some family ones, and a camp group photo that he couldn’t bring himself to throw away, even though those friendships certainly felt fragmented or non-existent nowadays. He even had received a new one as a gift from Reyna and Jason, his friends from the city, when they teased him for not having ‘your best friends in the entire world’ documented in his apartment. These framed images on the wall though, they were different, and they evoked a deeper emotion than Nico was expecting when he stared at them, walking closer still. 

In some of the frames were old posters of favorite bands that he used to tape to his walls in high school; a soft laugh escaped Nico when he saw the familiar artwork of _Thrice_ , _My Chemical Romance,_ and _Led Zeppelin_ donning his wall. The rest were photos of various sizes, all black and white, all very candid shots. 

All very candid shots taken by Nico, back when he was in high school. 

There was one of Hazel, smiling, hand raised to block the camera, as she was painting at her desk. One of Seph and his father (looking uncharacteristically at ease and smiling) dancing at one of their holiday parties Seph would always convince Hades to hold at the house. Some candids from the summer camp, familiar faces of friends and co-counselors laughing, covered in the dirt and necks adorned with camp beads that were given out each summer. 

Then, there was a portrait of Bianca. 

Nico reached out his hand, fingertips resting on her portrait. It actually wasn’t candid, since Nico had forced her to be his model for his photography class’ portrait assignment, but the mischievous gleam in Bianca’s eyes and the wry smile she gave the camera made her look so much less posed. She was sitting on the concrete steps of their school, the areas for modeling during the lunch hour limited. Nico smiled, remembering how she had ruffled his hair afterwards, and stole his camera, encouraging him to chase her as she ran through the halls. 

It would have ended up in Nico’s senior show, even though he took it in his sophomore year. He had the print set aside in a folder inside his closet, slowly collecting his favorite captures over time. Since he had left hastily, he had managed to grab his camera, but not the folder, and tried to let go of his remorse over losing the negatives and prints he had once been so proud of. 

“Hi, Bianca.” Nico said softly, his hand still on the photo. A bittersweet warmth filled his chest at the sight of her, and he stood there for a few minutes, not able to say anything else. 

“I always liked that photo of her.”

Nico spun around and saw Hazel leaning in the doorway, looking hesitant, but smiling. He motioned for her to come in, and went back to staring at Bianca’s portrait. Hazel walked in quietly, and she leaned her head on Nico’s shoulder. He reached around her for a small side hug, and they both stared at Bianca quietly. 

“I thought...I didn’t know you guys kept these things.” Nico said softly. 

“Of course we did.” Hazel said. “You were so good at photography. We even saved your camera.”  
  
“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s in your closet. Also, you did a terrible job packing when you left. I know you were trying to be dramatic, but geez.” She poked him in the side lovingly, and Nico chuckled. 

“I suppose I just wanted to make a point,” he huffed, “Anyway, it was really nice of you guys to set this up for me. I can’t believe the staff did this all in a day, actually.”

“A day?” Hazel turned Nico to face her, making a quizzical face. “No, Nico, the room’s been set up this way for _years_. I think all they had to do was clean it.”

Nico’s jaw dropped open. “R-really?”

“Well, I mean it took a while for us to go through all your prints and decide what to frame, and the plant is relatively new, but yeah. After we cleaned through your room, Dad and Seph did all of this.”

“No way.” 

“No, really, they did! I mean, sure, not initially. But Seph said that she wanted you to always have a room here, and that it should ‘grow up’ while you did, too. I never heard Dad disagree with her.” Hazel hummed and dropped her hand to give Nico’s a squeeze. “No one tried to erase you, Nico. You’re our family. No one wanted that. I promise.”

Nico’s throat welled up and he closed his eyes, willing the tears to stay behind his lids. He squeezed Hazel’s hand tightly, and then he cleared his throat.

“I’ve got to change for dinner. Meet you downstairs?” 

“Of course. Love you, big brother.” Hazel gave Nico a quick peck on the cheek and was off. It didn’t take Nico long to find a comfortable pair of joggers and a warmer sweater; all of his belongings were more organized than they ever had been. He began to feel guilt creeping in when he remembered how he had treated Seph upon his arrival back home, especially when he looked around the loving details that covered his room with her fingerprints. 

Sighing, Nico made his way down the stairs, wondering down the hallway until he could see Seph at the kitchen island, tending to a potted orchid that had reached a few feet. She glanced to see him come in, but turned quickly back to her orchid. Glancing around, not seeing anyone else in the room with them, Nico shuffled over to Seph, and slowly, cautiously leaned at the kitchen table next to her. 

“Is your room alright?” Seph asked, her tone neutral, swiping a thumb over a wilting leaf. 

Nico let out a sigh, and flopped his head on Seph’s shoulder. He felt her stiffen in surprise, but he didn’t move away. He felt heavy with sadness and guilt and social exhaustion. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “I was being a jerk.” He felt embarrassed to become so overwhelmed, but he also couldn’t stop some tears from sliding down his cheeks. It really had been a long day. 

Seph gave a sigh, and she rested her head on top of Nico’s. “That’s okay.” She reached an arm around him, similar to how Hazel had earlier. “This is part of life. Lots of journeying through hard things and deciding how to react.”

“Yeah well...” Nico cleared his throat. “Isn’t life always going to be a _journey?_ ” He said the term like it tasted bad in his mouth, having heard it so much already from those trying to reassure and help him.

Seph pulled away, and Nico was stunned to see that she had tears welling in her eyes. Looking at him sadly, she reached a hand up to his cheek.

“No,” she said solemnly while she brushed Nico’s lingering tears away, “sometimes it’s just _fun.”_ She patted his cheek, giving him a strange smile. “Come - dinner.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually couldn’t resist some Will POV but as you can see it won’t be...complete switches. Also had too much fun dreaming up Nico’s room on Pinterest. Lol. 
> 
> Also I still stan a positive stepmother relationship woohoo!


	7. Tree Ceremonies & the Angel Squad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all Will. I apologize for nothing! EDIT: Also I took the italics off because uh it felt like a lot haha.

Will thought that he had enjoyed Christmas growing up, but Angel River sure knew how to throw a party. The ‘downtown’ part of the community (which really was just one long street) held most if not all of the local businesses, and the street was transformed into an abundance of sturdy cabin-like stands, with twinkly lights and garlands stretching from one lamppost to another. The street led to a traditional old town square that still had the original cobblestone paving, minus a few fixed potholes here and there. Normally in the square, one could see the large Athena statue standing boldly in front of the town hall building (Will had tried asking about the wheres and why such a statue was here, of all places, but it seemed everyone had a different story so he had given up); this season, she was obscured by a gigantic Christmas tree that was adorned with ornaments that Will thought could have easily passed for fine jewels. It was not yet lit, which was why the square was particularly full tonight, and he was thankful for the shared body heat to protect him from the chill. 

“Here you go, Will - one boozy peppermint hot chocolate, extra whipped cream.” A mittened hand held out a red cup in front of Will’s face, and he took the drink gladly, giving Percy a thankful smile. 

“Awesome, thanks Percy! What do I owe you?” 

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Annabeth Chase appeared by her fiance Percy’s side, holding her own steaming cup of alcoholic holiday cheer. “Once we said it was for you, they gave it to us for free.” 

“We should keep you around whenever we come to the market!” Their friend Piper joined as well, “You’re pretty popular at work with the little high school baristas, you know?” She gave him a teasing smile, and Will lifted his own cup to his lips to hide his blush. 

“Whatever. Just wait until I have to bandage them up at camp and lecture them about safe sex practices. They won’t like me so much after that.” He scoffed, and pondered in amusement at all of the part-time jobs he was fitting into his future at Angel River - baking for Christmas, camp in the summer, eventually the school’s local nurse...it was funny to him that he didn’t shy away from saying yes to each opportunity that came his way, even though it locked him into Angel River for longer and longer. He had moved in open-minded, trusting some inexplicable feeling in his gut that if the town wanted him (not the people, but the ‘spirit’ of the town, whatever that meant), it would find a way to keep him around - so far it had. He was grateful for the work, and the lodging, and the variety of his work meant that he got to meet quite a few of the locals, though Percy and Annabeth were still his main company.

Being out at the market meant that Will got to see others he had befriended in his short time in Angel River, and it was cute to see familiar faces bundled in winter coziness, the crowd a variety of colorful knits, long coats, and the occasional patagonia pullover. He had driven in with Percy and Annabeth, walking to the town square from a parking spot a few blocks away, but since this was what most of the town was doing, more had joined them along the way. Piper Mclean, whom Will had met during one of his first times at the bakery, fell in step with them gracefully, her eyes sparkling in a captivating way that Will couldn’t quite put his finger on. Piper’s father was not only rich, but a famous movie star - upon discovering this Will blurted out which shirtless posters of Tristan Mclean had adorned his childhood bedroom walls, which Piper groaned and laughed at, holding it over his head in the weeks to come. Tristan Mclean owned a few houses, though Angel River was his quiet getaway, in honor of his own time spent there as a child - though the town would often mention him with pride, they didn’t seem to advertise having a big celebrity owning property in their midst, and he was more known for saving the camp than his campy action movies. 

When it looked like Camp Olympus (the Greek-obsession in this town was becoming comical to Will at this point) was falling apart more quickly than the town could afford, Tristan bought it without hesitation, ordering the necessary repairs and then some - Will was pretty sure the lava-themed climbing wall was a newer addition. He had attended the camp in his youth, and his daughter, Piper, had as well, making fast friends with regulars like Percy and Annabeth, to the point where she moved full-time to Angel River, preferring to spend her school year with summer friends even though her father was often sent to Los Angeles for projects. She didn’t seem very lonely, even with Tristan away, as their household had sort of ‘adopted’ her best friend, Leo Valdez, into the family when they bonded at camp in junior high. Apparently, Leo was at the camp on some sort of scholarship for “wilderness expedition for delinquents”, he would say with an eye roll. When Piper, who became a tight knit friend as they bonded over a shared sense of rebellion, heard about his bad run-ins with his foster homes and the loss of his mother, she soon had charmed her father into becoming Leo’s new guardian, which Will thought was impressive given the amount of paperwork that must have taken. Will hadn’t seen Piper’s roommate yet, but he imagined that Leo was somewhere behind-the-scenes, working on the light display that was going to go up on the tree soon. Leo scraped through the rest of high school and had taken quite a lot of time to travel once he was done, but he had eventually moved back to Angel River, becoming the town’s unofficial mechanic - Tristan had purchased a garage in town where Leo would not only fix up cars, but create little inventions of his own, which were quite impressive...when they didn’t explode. 

Piper officially oversaw Camp activities and functioning, but she had long ago appointed Percy and Annabeth as co-camp directors, pulling from other former attendees and counselors to help everything run smoothly. 

Due to Will’s medical experience, he became a natural shoe-in for the nurse role that would come in the summer months, which meant he got to spend quite a bit of time with Piper, Leo, Annabeth, and Percy. Will liked the little group of friends he had made, and he was thankful that Angel River actually had an abundance of people his age he could connect with. Grover and his girlfriend Juniper helped manage the bakery and floral shop, and they were certainly very friendly (and both weirdly enamoured with Seph, though given how plant-obsessed they both were Will couldn’t really blame them). Hazel and Frank often circulated into the social outings and were both sweet and good natured; Will enjoyed some friendly competition at the camp’s archery range with Frank the first time they hung out, and he liked Frank’s quiet, but strong nature. Percy’s mom, Sally, and her husband Paul, were regulars in the bakery, but would holler out to Will so he would come out and say hello - Will enjoyed cooing over their newest addition to the family, Estelle Blofis, who was three, able to formulate topics of her own to discuss intensely with Will. The Jacksons had Will over for dinner almost every night when he first moved in, and he had only just began to limit those, for the sake of some alone time and also his jeans still being able to fit (Angel River didn’t exactly have an abundance of big chains that Will could just buy a new wardrobe at). 

It was only a matter of time before Will would have met every residence at Angel River, he mused, save for the few that he knew kept to themselves, deeper in the mountains nearby. Nico being a new addition was exciting to Will, though he quickly realized after the run-in with Percy that he wasn’t the only one who thought this. While he had waited for his friends to return with drinks, Will had overheard snippets of gossip that the townsfolk were sharing with each other as they waited for the festivities to begin, and most of it was centered around the raven haired boy with the nimble fingers and downcast eyes. 

“I heard he was at graduate school and has his doctorate now?”

“No, I think he dropped out and was in jail for a bit, that’s why he’s here now, parents bailed him out-”

“The next time I see him, I swear I’m going to get him to admit that he was behind the bagel incident, I know it was him, I swear-”“Do you remember when he stole-”

“What about when he said-”

“I wonder if he’ll be here tonight?”

Will had to actively tune out the chatter around him, knowing that Angel River, while friendly, had a sort of overbearing way of warping the truth for the sake of a good story. He had only just met Nico, and he didn’t want to color his impression with things that may or may not have been true. He was loudly humming his favorite Taylor Swift song to drown out the noise around him when his friends had re-appeared.

“I just don’t see why I can’t go over there-”

“Percy, _no_. He’ll come to you when he’s ready, do you want him to bolt again?” 

Will shook his head; he hadn’t realized he had gotten so lost in thought, even with his friends returning. Piper was looking at Percy and Annabeth with an amused expression, as the couple were clearly bickering. Will knew Nico had been on their minds and in their conversations - when Piper had joined their group this evening, her eyes were lit up with a million questions, though there wasn’t much to answer, and Will was being surprisingly tight-lipped as well. They had tried to keep the Nico-topic minimal, so as not to leave Will out, but they had all grown up together, and Will got the feeling that Nico was a pretty big part of their lives. Or at least, he used to be. 

“Annabeth,” Percy groaned, “We both know that if we wait for him, it’ll _never_ happen. Or do you not remember how the past few years have gone?”

Annabeth’s gray eyes flashed. “Percy,” she said in a warning tone, “I’m just saying, give him like, a week, at least. He just moved back and I doubt reconnecting with his entire childhood is top of his list, otherwise he would have started with us. Now let’s talk about something else so Will doesn’t have to re-live Angel River History 101 for the millionth time.” 

Percy grumbled a “sorry” towards Will and began nursing his drink, and Will gave him a shrug. 

“Hola, amigos,” Leo’s chipper voice broke the tension as he bounded into their group, wrapping his arms around Piper and Will to pull them into a hug, “HEY - did you hear Nico di Angeo moved back into town?? I think the little punk still has my DS…” 

“Ugh, Leo - new topic.” Piper wriggled out from Leo’s tight hug, which just meant that Leo used both hands to hang from Will’s neck dramatically, forcing Will to bring his arms around him to keep the both of them from falling. Leo looked up at Will with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Why Doctor Solace, thank you for catching my fall; I seem to be falling for you all the time these days.” 

“You better keep falling then, Mr. Valdez.” Will slipped out from Leo’s hold and the inventor fell to the ground with a loud thud. “You are not my type anyway.” He and the others laughed while Leo got back to his feet dusting himself off and giving Will a scowl.

“Well, you’re not mine either, blondie. As you know, I have my sights set on the hospitality manager in town, who’s yet to be...hospitable to my charm, but it’s only a matter of time.” He smiled confidently while the rest of the group groaned. 

“Dude, Caly is _not_ going to go out with you.” Percy shook his head in disbelief. “First off, she has standards - uh, I mean, she isn’t that great anyway...” He began stuttering when he caught Annabeth glaring quietly at him, looking like a mouse about to be devoured by a cat. Annabeth and Percy had been an item for as long as Angel River could remember, though in ninth grade there was a brief breakup period, the details to which Percy and Annabeth would never say. Though the breakup only lasted a few months, they both dated someone else for a month, mainly just to spite each other (so the story goes, from what Will could gather from others). However, Percy’s rebound girlfriend was Caly, an exchange student who eventually settled permanently in the town, and she was, Will guessed, quite alluring to many. Annabeth had dated an older boy named Luke, who was long gone this time around, but Will noticed that Percy got the same glare whenever he was mentioned in conversation. 

Will gave a sigh. _Straight people were weird._ Leo was now laughing at Percy’s backtracking, unfazed by the discouragement he was receiving about Caly. Will would never tell, because he was pretty sure Leo would explode from joy and come on stronger than before (if that was possible) but during a particular delivery to the inn, he learned that Caly was fighting a pretty big crush on Leo as well. It came up when, somehow, Will managed to mention that he was gay to Caly, and she immediately asked him if he thought Leo was cute, and then she sputtered in embarrassment and begged him not to tell anybody. Luckily, when he was in med school, Will had gotten quite the lesson in HIPA, and he figured applying confidentiality to crushes and newcomers was also a good practice. It was only a matter of time before the two figured something out - Christmas was certainly a romantic season, after all. 

“Hi everyone!” Their group looked to see Hazel and Frank approaching them, gloved hands intertwined. “It’s so cold! I can’t believe we aren’t getting snow yet! And Will, this is your first tree lighting!”

“You haven’t seen it snow here yet, right Will? I still don’t know if this compares to what I’ve seen in Canada, but it’s still pretty nice here.” Frank smiled at Will; they had both bonded over not growing up in Angel River, though Frank moved here in his teenage years whereas Will had only a few months. 

“I haven’t really seen snow ever, honestly.” Will took a sip of his drink, feeling his face warmed with the alcohol and peppermint. “It didn’t really snow in my part of Texas. I’m excited to see it.”

“We definitely have to do a round of capture the flag at Camp when it snows,” Percy’s eyes were lit up with excitement, “You aren’t officially in the Angel Squad until you’ve played capture the flag with us.”

Piper groaned. “Percy, do you _have_ to call us that? It’s so obvious you’re making fun of Drew and her ‘Angel Squad’ phase in high school.”

“That’s why I say it! If anyone’s going to be the Angel Squad it should be _us_ , not some mean cheerleaders.” No one seemed entirely convinced, but Percy didn’t lose confidence. “Will can’t get his wings until he’s passed all initiation phases of our team.”

“Sounds like I’m playing capture the flag pretty soon...” Will said with a smile, and looked back to Hazel, “How was your evening, Hazel?”

“Oh good, you know, just Friday night dinner with the family, nothing special...what?” Hazel’s eyes darted to each member of the group, who had now managed to huddle closer. “Did I miss something?”

“Uh, no, but _we_ ,” Leo waved his arm to gesture to the entire group, “seemed to have missed the memo about a certain goth-brother of yours moving back into town?”

Hazel’s cheeks flushed and her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth even though it took awhile for her to decide what to say. “I...I didn’t know you knew.”

“Well we do now - Hazel, what the heck? I saw him earlier today working with Will and I thought I was seeing a ghost.” Percy seemed legitimately annoyed even as Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs.

“I-I wasn’t sure what Nico wanted me to say or not, I was trying to...I don’t know.” Hazel looked somewhere between frustrated and sad as she waved her hands lamely, trailing off. 

Frank frowned and stood closer to Hazel’s side, wrapping his arm around her. “ _You guys_. Nico moved back, and Hazel and I helped out. Beyond that, you have your own relationships with Nico and can figure it out; Hazel’s only responsibility is with her relationship with Nico, not what information she should provide to you or not. We’re not in high school anymore - stop gossiping and figure your own crap out.” He looked around and with a firm nod, that was that. No one seemed to want to challenge Frank, especially since he only seemed to get firm when he was absolutely right. Sensing the need to move on, Annabeth and Piper began a new topic, and soon everyone was chatting amicably about holiday plans and what activities they should do. 

“Hey Will?” Hazel had lightly tapped on Will’s arm, and he turned to look into her golden eyes. “That reminds me - Nico said he might have left his phone in your car. He asked if I could grab it from you?”  
  


“Oh…” Will hesitated for a moment, and then his shoulders slumped. “Sorry Hazel. I did find it, but it’s back at my cabin. I didn’t want it to get stolen or anything just sitting in my car.”

  
“That’s okay. Maybe I can get it later? I’ve heard talk that there will be a post-tree-lighting-party at Annabeth and Percy’s cabin.” Hazel smiled as Will nodded. 

“Y-yeah, of course.” He stood quietly, his brain suddenly working a million miles a minute. Hazel had gone back to Frank to discuss what drinks they should order, and Leo excused himself, noting the time and telling their group that the festivities were about to start, and he had to get ‘a few more additions ready’.

“Hey, Will - you alright?” Piper asked Will quietly, looking concerned. “You’ve been a little quiet.” 

Will looked at Piper, and glanced toward the group. It looked like the children’s choir was shuffling up to the stage in front of the Christmas tree, adorned in little elf and angel costumes. Their friend group was entranced, as Estelle was front and center in an angel halo that she had bent askew, and slowly, a music track began playing, readying them to sing. Seeing this as an opportunity, Will put his hand on Piper’s shoulder, and leaned towards her ear so she could hear him over the crown and the music. “I’m fine,” he said, “But can you cover for me? There’s something I need to do.” 

She gave him an odd look, but nodded, gesturing for him to slip away, and he did so quickly, pushing politely past people until he was out of the square and heading the opposite direction of the party. Weaving through the booths, he saw that the drink stand left unattended, and he took the opportunity to pour a fresh drink into a takeaway cup. 

Trying to shake off the chill, Will began quickly walking up the nearby road towards the di Angelo mansion, Nico’s phone burning a hole in his pocket. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was also going to have Nico but 1, I love Will and 2, writing from his POV gives me a good opportunity to describe more of the town and bring in more people (and Leo was in my head demanding to be featured). I hope you enjoy! All of you who have given kudos and comments have been super sweet! It's fun to see there are other big fans of this series and Solangelo :-)


	8. Insta-Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO chapters in a day who am I?! Also sorry I keep diving back in and editing little things, nothing major.

Nico had survived dinner, and escaped the tree lighting. Just barely. He could tell that Hades was about to push back when his family began grabbing coats to head to the town square, but soon Seph was whisking her husband away, babbling on about how it would only be a few minutes that they’d be there, and Nico didn’t have to join every activity. 

“You sure you don’t mind staying behind?” Hazel asked as she slipped gloves on; Frank had already arrived at the house to join them in their car to take them into town, giving a quiet wave to Nico when he arrived. Nico thought it was kind of silly that Frank didn’t just meet Hazel _at_ the event, and he told him just as much, but Frank replied with a, “That’s just something boyfriends do!”, giving an adoring look to Hazel’s beaming face. 

_Gods, I am so fucking single_. Nico cursed inwardly, as he slapped on what he hoped was a convincing, “Yes-I-am-fine-by-myself” grin as he waved at the car. Closing the door, he heaved a sigh, and wandered back to the kitchen. Although Hades and Seph had a fairly robust staff to assist around the house, most were always dismissed after dinnertime, sometimes earlier if Seph wanted to cook herself. It made the house extremely quiet, which Nico thought he would prefer, though now he wondered if it would have been better to go to the tree lighting and not be alone in a cavernous mansion. 

He shook his head, chiding himself. No, he couldn’t do that - he didn’t want to run into anyone he knew, and the Christmas Market was basically a gathering party for “Everyone in Your Past” and then some. He had made the right call to stay behind. 

_It’s not like anyone would want to see me anyway._ Nico thought, and found that he was now leaning against the kitchen island, chin in his hands. He frowned, having done enough therapy work with Mr. D to be able to identify that as an untrue thought, and he tried to reason with himself. 

_‘That’s not true. It just would have been overwhelming and uncomfortable to see everyone at once.’_

_Because they hate me._

_No, because it’s_ _awkward_ _. Percy felt awkward too, it goes both ways._

_‘Percy probably feels awkward because I was in love with him for years-’_

“Nope!” Nico slammed his hands on the kitchen island, determined. He was not going to let his inner critic win the night. He had learned enough from therapy to know what he needed was to change up his activity so he could distract his mind from spiraling. He drummed his fingers on the table, looking around for something to do, and noticed that the bar in the corner of the vast living room looked fully stacked. 

“Perfect.” He said to no one, and he strode over to look amongst the various bottles, knowing exactly what he was going to do to lift his spirits. 

\---

Nico was about two drinks and twenty songs in when he danced into the entryway of the house and saw Will Solace standing inside, holding two takeaway cups and staring at him. 

“AH!” Nico let out a shriek that he was too startled to be embarrassed by, and he dropped his glass on the floor, which promptly shattered, the rest of the liquid splashing all over the floor. It seemed his reaction startled Will, for Nico heard a similar shriek emit from the blonde boy, though Will managed not to drop the drinks he was holding. 

“ _Merda_!” Nico swore in Italian (which was rare for him these days) and dropped to the floor, trying to pick up the pieces of the broken glass, his headphones popping from one of his ears. He yelped when he grabbed a large piece too quickly, causing blood to appear along the length of his thumb. 

“Nico, I’m _so_ sorry, I’ve been knocking for five minutes and the door was unlocked, oh shit, you’re bleeding, hang on!” Will placed his drinks on the entryway table and sprinted out the front door, while Nico retreated to the kitchen to grab a small broom, a dustpan, and a rag, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his hand. 

He had gotten the worst of it into the pan and had thrown the rag over the spill when Will reentered, holding a small white box with a big red plus sign on it. 

“Come on, I’ve got bandages. I need to see how deep that cut is.”

He grabbed Nico by the elbow, urging him to get up from the floor, and Nico found himself being dragged back to the kitchen where there was presumably more light. 

“How is it,” Nico growled, “that whenever I see you, I somehow get injured?”

Will looked up at him, his blue eyes still wide and looking embarrassed. “W-We’ve only met twice now! That’s not enough to even call it a _trend,_ let alone a statistical consistency.”

“Sure, whatever Math Whiz.” Nico paused his snippiness when he noticed Will was holding his injured hand, looking at it closely and holding an alcohol swab. “Will, I swear to god, if you touch me with that thing -”

“Nico, it’s got to be cleaned, I don’t know if there’s glass in it -”

“There’s no glass, just put a bandage on it and - ah!! _Stronzo!”_ Nico cried out when Will began wiping the cut with the swab. It stung horribly and he hissed through his teeth, glowering at Will who kept his hand in a firm grip.

“Hush,” Will said, looking more serious and focused as he did his work, “I’ve had children with broken bones who whine less.” He assessed Nico’s hand, brows furrowed in concentration, and then turned to sift through his medic kit with his free hand. “Luckily it’s not very deep, and I don’t see any glass. Aside from the obvious swearing in another language, I’d say you were very brave and should heal just fine.” He was sticking a bandage around Nico’s thumb, then looked up at him with a smile. Nico had to will himself to look away from Will’s captivating eyes, and when he glanced down at his hand, he frowned. 

“What on earth is this?” 

“Captain America.”

“You gave me a child’s band-aid.” 

“I mean it was this or Paw Patrol, and I’m not clear on where you stand on animals yet - it’s in my 20 questions for you though.” Will said this all matter-of-factly, but Nico could see the glint of amusement in his blue eyes, and he looked away so he could hide his blush. 

“Will - what are you doing here, anyway?”

“I came to give you your phone - you left it in my car.” Will reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out Nico’s phone. Taking it in his hands, Nico stared at it dumbly. 

“Oh. Uh, thanks.” He shifted a bit, slipping the phone into his pocket. Will leaned closer towards Nico, reaching out a hand. Nico’s breath caught in his throat, unsure of what Will was doing, but the sunny boy just tugged the remaining headphone bud out of Nico’s ear. 

“Don’t tell me you have _two_ phones? How were you listening to music?” He was looking at Nico quizzically, still holding the headphone cord. Nico stepped backwards, and took the cord out of Will’s hand with nimble fingers. 

“Iwasusingmyipod.” He mumbled, focusing on detaching the headphones from his body and placing them on the kitchen island. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I was using my ipod, okay?” Nico heaved a sigh, while Will’s hand flew to his own heart dramatically. 

“You hypocrite! After mocking mine?!”

“Oh calm down - I didn’t have my phone and I found this in my old- uh, in my room.” Nico pulled the black square out of his pocket, waving it in front of Will’s face before he also set it down on the counter. “You caught me. Game over. iPods are perfectly reasonable sources for music still.” 

“Well...” Will mused, tapping a finger to his lips, smirking - the little freckle almost disappeared when he did that. _Stop looking at his lips_ , Nico’s brain frantically urged. “I’ll let you off the hook if you bring that to the bakery next time. Might as well see what you’ve got on there - my playlists are getting pretty old anyway.” 

“Uh, yeah, about that…” Nico trailed off, and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

Will looked concerned. “You’re not quitting on me, are you?” Did his eyes look sad? Nico couldn’t tell - and he didn’t want to overthink it, but seeing Will in any form of upset was really starting to bother him, the urge to make him smile again growing stronger in his gut by the second. 

“No!” Nico half shouted, and then cleared his throat, blushing. “Uh, no. No. I just...wanted to apologize...for earlier…”

Will was staring at Nico, waiting for more. Nico willed his mouth to continue formulating words, “I grew up with Percy...well, everyone, in town, and it’s just…” he circled his hands, trying to will the correct phrase to come that matched his feelings, “awkward. And surprising. I was surprised. I’m sorry for running off. I still want to be helpful but…”

“Hey, it’s fine, no need to explain.” Will looked less upset now, and he folded his arms in a comfortable stance, his hip popping out to the side. _Eyes off the hips, too_ \- Nico’s brain was working overtime. “I’m happy to tell you ahead of time where the deliveries are, and you can decide if you want to tag along or not. No reason you can’t have a heads up now and then, right?” He smiled now, his grin infectious, though all Nico could manage was a small tug of his own lips. 

“Y-yeah. Yes. That would be great. I know I’ll get used to it but...well, it’s been a while.” 

“I can’t imagine. I’m sure it’s really hard.” 

Nico didn’t reply, so a stillness hung in the air for a few moments. Normally Nico would feel uncomfortable in these situations, but there was something...calming about Will. Almost like neither of them really minded the silence, and they went from looking around the room to looking at each other, neither in a rush to find something to say. 

Will eventually broke the silence. “Hey Nico...” he began, and he looked at his sneakers. Nico thought maybe he was uncomfortable, which was odd to him. “In the spirit of giving a heads up, I feel like you should know...Percy’s basically my neighbor. I live up at Camp Olympus in one of the residential cabins, and he and Annabeth are in one of them too.”

Nico looked at Will in surprise - he wasn’t expecting _that_. “You live there? Why?” He clamped his mouth shut, feeling like of all the questions he had, that was a stupid one, but Will didn’t seem to mind. 

“Well actually, I interviewed for a job as the summer nurse, and that position usually lives on site with the rest of the counselors and camp directors. I got the gig for this coming summer but, uh, I ended up needing to come here a little sooner and well...Percy hooked me up. And Piper too, who I think you know.” Will began fiddling with his own fingers, flustered. “I’m sorry, this is probably so _weird_ , of course you know who that is - I just... I enjoyed meeting you and it would be fun to be friends and I didn’t want you to be surprised or think that I’m going to talk about you to Percy, because I’m _not_ , I don’t know what you guys went through and I told him I don’t _want_ to know -”

“Will.” Nico held up his hands, begging Will to stop rambling with the small gesture. Thankfully, it worked. “It’s okay - I mean, thanks for telling me, but it’s your life, your house. It was nice of you to think I’d want to know...I think.” Nico glanced to the side, not sure if he was having this conversation right, whatever it was. “I...I’m bound to run into everyone, and we just met, you’ve got your own friends, and, and if they’re people I know that’s not a big deal. You can uh,” He coughed, feeling his face light up in flames as he realized _he_ was rambling now, “You can be friends with them _and_ with me. I believe you when you say you aren’t going to be a go between.” 

“You do?” Will was still grabbing at his hands nervously, which Nico found adorable and immensely distracting. He nodded quickly. 

“Yes - I do. I don’t know why but…” Nico scratched his head with his good hand. “I mean, you’re a doctor, you probably got the whole confidentiality thing down, right?”

“ _Was_ a doctor, almost.” Will corrected him. “But yeah, you’re right - I don’t like to gossip.” He gave Nico a grin, and then pointed to his phone on the table. “By the way, if you’re going to keep being my employee and occasional patient, you should let me put my cell in your phone. That way we can figure out shifts and hang out. If you want!” Will added the last part quickly, cheeks still pink, making his freckles stand out. 

“Oh, um, okay.” Nico unlocked his phone and handed it to Will, who began typing it in, adding a small sun emoji to his name. It took Nico a minute to realize will had finished entering his information in, and was now sweeping through his phone. 

“W-what are you doing?” Nico made to grab his phone, but Will held it above his head. He had some height advantage, much to Nico’s annoyance. 

“I’m trying to add me on your instagram, but...you don’t have one?” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “I deleted that like three years ago.”

“ _What_? Nico, come on, what are you, 88 years old? Get back on the ‘gram. I even do one for the bakery, it’s great - you can help me with social media.” Will handed Nico his phone back, a satisfied grin on his face. “There. Downloading now. The app should remember all your account info. I’ll give you the bakery password when we’re at work.”

“Will! You can’t just download an app on someone else’s phone!” Nico frowned at the tiny camera-themed square that was now loading on his screen.

“It’s free! No big deal. Plus, maybe you can use it as a way to...reconnect with the town, without having to do in person things first. You know? Likes, comments...DMs...oh god, you know what a DM is, don’t you?” Will looked alarmed, like Nico really _was_ in his eighties, just under a good disguise. 

  
“ _I know what DMs are, Will_.” Nico snapped, putting his phone in his back pocket and crossing his arms with a huff. Will held up his arms in mock surrender.

“I’m just saying - it’s one way to check back in before you’ve got to do the big in-person reunions. A like here and there isn’t going to hurt you.” Will shrugged, then checked the time on his own phone. “It’s late, I probably need to get going. But add me on instagram, don’t forget! My username is ‘Will Solace’ then underscore, then ‘Texas forever” but with like a ‘4’, the number.” When Nico just stared at him, Will scoffed. “Okay, if you don’t know ‘Friday Night Lights’ we are going to have a serious TV marathon one day. You’ve clearly been living under a rock for your entire life.”

“Oh, whatever.” Nico couldn’t help but snort, both at Will’s username and his weak insult about Nico’s popular culture knowledge. He may have also been trying to hide a sound of glee at the mention of spending all day with Will, sitting together, watching TV in a dark room, shoulders touching…

“Anyway, I don’t work weekends, but maybe I’ll see you around? You can always text me if you’re feeling bored or need a thesis break.” Will smiled and started walking towards the front door. 

“Uh, sure, yeah.”

“Text me so I have your number!” Will pointed to the phone in Nico’s pocket, and Nico nodded in what he hoped was a chill, casual manner. It probably wasn’t, but Will was almost out the door so maybe he hadn’t noticed. 

“Oh, I forgot! I brought you a peppermint hot chocolate from the market. I felt bad you missed your supposed favorite part of the whole shin-dig.” Will picked up one of the cups he had left on the entryway table. “It might be a little cold, but nothing a zap in the microwave can’t fix, right? I didn’t add booze because I wasn’t sure if you drank but uh, let’s just say the whiskey on your breath and the floor tipped me off for future orders.” 

“Ah, uh, thank you.” Nico held the cup, feeling flabbergasted by the gesture and a little sheepish that he had whiskey-breath. His new friend didn’t seem to mind, and gave him a wave with a grin that Nico was learning was a classic look for Will Solace. 

“Have a good night, Nico!” Will’s voice was like a peal of bells in the cold and dark night.

“You too, Will.” Nico half-whispered, doubting that Will had heard him. He swung the door closed, staring at it as he listened to Will’s truck start up noisily and pull out of the driveway.

\---

Much later, around 11pm or midnight, Nico was sitting on his bed, scrolling through his newly resurrected instagram. He had looked up Will’s profile, hoping he could just glance at it and be done with it, but saw with dismay that it was a private account. Swallowing his pride, he hit the ‘follow’ button, hoping he wasn’t about to get rejected on a stupid app. 

Those he had followed before deleting Instagram still remained on his feed, and Nico had to regulate how much scrolling he was doing - he was curious what his friends had been up to, but it was a lot to absorb if he went too far too fast. He noticed Hazel’s account had a photo of him from just two years ago; a cute selfie (of her at least) that she had taken of him on a visit to where Nico lived in the city - their mutual friends had liked the photo, but there weren’t any comments (Nico wasn’t sure if that was good or bad). Digging through the past snapshots of his friends’ life was interesting, but mostly it reminded Nico that he wasn’t present for any of it. Piper becoming the camp director, Percy and Annabeth smiling while a ring was shown off on Annabeth’s left hand, Leo’s… quirky memes and occasional selfie that was meant to be sexy. It felt like he was looking at his friends through a window, uninvolved and disconnected, and wasn’t that why he deleted the app in the first place? 

Feeling like he should just delete it again, Will Solace’s tempting private account be damned, Nico was about to log out, when he noticed swirling circles at the top of his instagram feed, all under different usernames of his friends that he still followed. _Insta-stories_ …? 

Curious, he tapped the first one in the lineup, which was Piper’s. A series of videos popped up, and suddenly Nico was watching his high school friends laughing and drinking inside a cozy cabin at Camp...only they weren’t in high school anymore, they looked older, around his age, and _oh my god were these live videos? Was that Will?_ It had to be live - Will appeared in snippets of the later videos, wearing the same clothes he had on when he visited Nico a few hours ago. Same with Hazel and Frank, he realized, who he could see in the background, sitting on a couch with Annabeth, laughing.

Panicked, he tried to escape the series of videos that eventually showed Leo taking a shot and trying to wrestle Percy, all while Piper and Will’s giggling mixing in the background. Instead, he hit the laughing emoji. _Dammit_ , he thought as the laughing face multiplied across the screen; surely it was sent to Piper, and now Nico would have to die, or move, or kill Will for re-downloading his instagram in the first place. 

He was horrified further when a little message popped up on his screen, and with fingers shaking, he clicked it. 

_PiperSings16: Uhhhh, GhostKing, is that YOU???_

Nico grimaced, and his fingers began typing frantically.

_GhostKing: Hi Piper. Yes. Sorry. I don’t know how to use instagram anymore. Didn’t mean to bother._

_PiperSings16:_ _Are you kidding?? It’s sooo good to hear from you! I heard you’re back and I’d love to see you when you have the time. Maybe we can go on a walk in our old spot??_

At the casual yet charming message that Piper had typed back to him, Nico felt his insides turn to mush. A swell of emotions hit his heart that he wasn’t expecting, but he thought the biggest one he felt was...relief. 

_GhostKing: That would be great. Let me know. Gotta go but have fun._

He began getting ready for bed, feeling like he had made a huge accomplishment without ever having to leave his house. Breaking contact with someone was like ripping off a bandage, or unwrapping a Christmas present - it let Nico get closer to what he could only hope felt like happiness, like healing. He took a long, hot shower, humming to himself and trying to not get _too excited_ , there were still a lot of awkward moments ahead and he was still _not happy_ to be back in Angel River, absolutely not. 

He noticed his phone had multiple notifications from the Instagram app. With a small ‘oh’ of surprise, Nico opened the app to find a series of messages waiting for him: 

_HeyitsHazell: Brother! You finally got back on Instagram and didn’t tell me??_

_Valdezanator: NICOOOOOOOOOOO bro come over !!! also bring my DS plz! :-) <3 <3 _

_Frank_Zhang95: Hi Nico!! Sorry, Piper is drunk and making everyone say hi to you, and when I tried to tell her that I already did tonight, she tried to hit me - so hey!_

_WiseGirlArchitect: Nico! I’m excited to see your account here, I always loved your photos. We miss you - if you ever want to meet up let me know._

_BlueAquaman18: hey man - welcome home. come over anytime! thx for the cookies..._

And then there was: 

_WillSolace_Texas4ever: wow ghost king... looks like i wasn’t that far off w/ the ‘death boy’ nickname. ill let u pick between a few nicknames so we can rotate thru them but ghost king is at the top of the list :P_

_WillSolace_Texas4ever: Also 4 the record i didn’t make anyone message u, looks like u sent Piper a msg on her story?_

_WillSolace_Texas4ever: Just remembered u are like 80 and don’t know what an instastory is - tell u later ;)_

Nico slept soundly through the night for the first time in weeks. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the thing - I realized that by making Nico move back at the start of December, for a Christmas love story, that I only gave him like...a month for him and Will to fall in love?? And move forward in his new-old-town life??? But then I remembered most Christmas movies move super fast so...bear with me. This story is but a product of Hollywood pacing, haha. 
> 
> Also obviously I'm not recommending you rely heavily on social media to reconnect - but I needed to give Nico a way in aside from literally running into people in the streets or people coming to his door (besides Will). 
> 
> Also my headcanon is that Will is obsessed with Friday Night Lights and his dream is to have a marriage like Coach and Tami, because who doesn’t??? Go watch that show if you haven’t seen it. 
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated ! Hope you like this story - I'm trying not to take myself too seriously and just enjoy writing it, but it makes me happy if it makes others happy !


	9. The Montage Part of the Movie, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Montages from Nico's POV - obviously Will is the star, though :)

_3 Days in Angel River_

_Nico: Hi, Will? It’s Nico._

_Will: sry, who is this?_

_Nico: Nico di Angelo?_

_Will: hm idk a nico but i kno a ‘neeks’ if u kno him :P_

_Nico: …_

_Will: :D_

_Nico: Sorry, wrong number._

_Will: Wait!!! Come back!!! I’ll make it worth your while._

_Nico: Oh really?_

_Will: Have u ever tried my chocolate croissants? They r the best in all of angel river_

_Nico: I’m not much of a breakfast person, to be honest_

_Will: omg lame. where r u? i have some leftover i can warm up and give to u now - unless u want to come to camp??_

_Nico: maybe another time, thx. Gotta work on my thesis._

_Will: your loss :P_

_Will: whatcha writing about today??_

_Nico: Are you always this annoying??_

_Will: Oh how funny ur phone autocorrected charming to annoying lol!_

_\---_

_4 Days into Angel River_

Piper ended up being the easiest one to reconnect with, and true to her word, they went on one of the walks they used to take when they were teens.

“Are you happy to be back?” Piper had asked him, as they circled back towards the house, ready to face the rest of the day. 

Nico wasn’t sure how to answer her - he certainly wasn’t happy coming _in_ , but something about seeing Piper was beginning to quiet his nerves, like a balloon of anxiety slowly releasing air in his chest. He looked around at the barren woods surrounding them - the first snow hadn’t come yet. 

“I’m not really sure yet.” He finally answered Piper, who, after a long thoughtful look in his direction that Nico didn’t catch, moved on to a different topic. 

\----

_ 4.5 Days into Angel River  _

_“Okay Death Breath, it’s twenty questions time!”_

_  
__“Will, I’ve only just gotten here and it’s 8:30am in the morning. Can you give me like...an hour of quiet?”_

_“Nope! What’s your favorite color? Here, you can scoop this cookie dough for me while we talk.”_ _  
  
_

_“Uh...black?”_

_“Oh god. Gag me.”_

_“Black is a fine answer!”_

_“Sure, if you want to live in a Hot Topic.”_

_“Will, the closest Hot Topic is like, 300 miles away from here.”_

_“....pfft-”_

_“What?”_

_“YouknowwherethenearestHotTopicis ahahahaha-”_

_“Shut up, you dork! Ugh!”_

\---

_6 Days into Angel River_

Leo had found Nico on his usual walk to his shift at the bakery one morning. He didn’t hesitate to throw his arms around Nico from behind, practically screaming his name in greeting (Nico had forgotten how physically affectionate Leo was). 

Hearing a scuffle outside, Will opened the door of the workroom, discovering the two boys tumbling to the ground. Leo was yelling, “Greet your brother with a holy kiss, di Angelo!”, and Nico was cursing and trying to throw punches at Leo’s head. 

Nico finally swung a a slap to Leo’s left eye, but not before the loud brunette landed a loud ‘smack’ of his lips to Nico’s cheek. Leo was beaming with mirth and pride, despite his eye swelling, and Will laughed with him as Nico stormed into the bakery, his face a deep red. 

\---

_7 Days into Angel River_

_“Hey, let’s take a break - want to come to the market with me and find lunch?”_

_“Oh, uh...No, you can go on ahead.”_

_“Nico, come on! It’s literally the cutest market in the world, what’s the worst that can happen?”_

_“Gee Will, I don’t know, maybe I could run into literally everyone who has known me since I was in diapers?”_

_“If it makes you feel better you could wear one now when we go out - just like old times.”_

_“....God, you’re stupid.”_

_“Stupid, and hungry! Now come on! I heard there’s a crepe stand and I need to order one of everything if that’s true.”_

_  
__“Ugh, fine, fine.”_

_“That’s my guy! Look I’ll even hold your hand if the crowds spook you-”_

_“Let go of me, you dummy.”_

_“Okay, fine, but here’s one of my twenty questions - if you could have any superpower in the world what would you want?”_

_  
__“Uh, I guess teleportation? Or invisibility?”_

_“Do you_ _have_ _to pick the most antisocial and creepy ones?!”_

_“I don’t think-”_

_“CREPES. 3 o’clock. Move!”_

_“Will, ack! Let go of my hand!!”_

_\---_

_7 Days into Angel River, Later that Evening_

Seph had tried to force Nico and Hades to spend time together, but it didn’t really work. Hades was always too busy, and Nico took every opportunity to support his father’s entrepreneurship by ducking away in the vast house whenever it looked like they would be in the same room, alone, together. Unfortunately, insomnia ran in the family...on the paternal side. 

“Nico? What are you doing up?” Hades walked into the living room and stared in surprise at Nico, who was curled up on the couch in front of the massive TV Seph had convinced everyone years ago to put in the second living room. 

“Oh, uh...couldn’t sleep. Sorry.”

  
Hades looked uncomfortable, which was pretty rare - he usually just shifted from serious, to slightly less serious (which to his father was ‘happy’), to mad. “I couldn’t really either. I usually grab a drink, or just watch TV for a bit. Seems better than doing nothing, or fitting in more work hours, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s… also what I was doing.”

  
They stared at each other for a few moments, until Nico cleared his throat and said, slowly, “Soooo….I’ll go back to my room then?”

“No, no, I’ll just eh...I’ll join you. What are you watching, anyway?”

“Um. It’s called Friday Night Lights. Will- uh, a friend told me I had to try it out.” Nico ducked his head, blushing. He groaned inwardly when his father sat in the armchair nearby - while Nico was in sweats and a grubby old band t-shirt, Hades still managed to look like he could hop on a business call at a moment’s notice, his bedtime outfit a very expensive looking linen pajama set. 

“Football? That’s new for you. And who’s this friend?” Hades frowned at Nico, who shifted around nervously, wishing he could bury himself into the plush couch cushions. 

“Dad, do you want to watch, or do you want the TV? Because chit chat is not on the table.”

“ _Fine_. God, I see you’ve kept your sunny personality intact while you were away.”

“Oh, don’t worry Dad, it’s fine-tuned and ready whenever you need a bit of sunshine.”

“Did that young man just get injured?”

“Ugh, you made me miss it! Here, I’ll rewind…”

\---

_9 Days in Angel River_

_“Will, where have you been? I never beat you to the bakery and - is your jacket moving?”_

_“Nico, I have an important question, of the twenty questions, coming up.”_

_“Didn’t you say every one of your twenty questions was going to be important?”_

_“Hush. Listen. Nico di Angelo, are you a dog person or a cat person?”_

_“Will, why is that lump moving-”_

_“Answer the question!”_

_“D-dog. Dog person.”_

_“Thank goodness. Okay, here you go! I found her by a dumpster at the high school, can you believe it? She’s so cute. What should we name her?”_

_“What the?! Will, is this a_ _puppy_ _?!”_

_“_ _Yes_ _. I couldn’t leave her, so I pulled the truck over and scooped her up. That’s why I was late.”_

_“...”_

_“Nico? You okay? You don’t have to hold her, I can take her back-”_

_“No! I mean uh, no, no it’s fine. She’s...she’s really cute.”_

_“Uh, you mean_ _you’re_ _really cute - this is literally the nicest I’ve seen you be, like, ever.”_

_“Oh whatever, you’re not a puppy, you don’t need affection.”_

_“Uh yes I do! I’m practically Tinkerbell! Without attention, I’ll die.”_

_“Mhm. So, are you keeping her?”_

_“Ah, no - actually, Percy and Annabeth mentioned they were interested in having a dog so...I sort of already texted a photo to Annabeth and it sounds like she’s gonna take the puppy and surprise Percy with it today.”_

_“...Oh. Well. That’s nice.”_

_“Sorry, is that weird? I shouldn’t have mentioned it, I just thought it would be fun for you to meet her-”_

_“No, no, Will, it’s okay. I mean Leo kissed me, how much weirder can things go? Let’s just make sure we get to name the puppy - if we take today to get her to learn a name, we can hold that over Percy and Annabeth and they’ll never be able to change it.”_

_“Ha! Well, you know, I seem to recall Percy talking about an English teacher he couldn’t stand…”_

_  
__“Mrs. O’Leary?”_

_“Yes! I think. She died right?”_

_“Yeah, before we graduated, I think. Still, Percy_ _hated_ _her…”_

_“....”_

_“....”_

_  
__“So how about-”_

_“I’ll go get some bacon from the fridge. Annabeth is going to get her at 3 and Mrs. O’Leary needs to learn her name_ _fast_ _.”_

_\---_

_9 Days in Angel River, at 3pm sharp_

“So uh, thank you for...the dog,” Annabeth held the wriggling puppy in her arms, “Percy’s going to flip.”

“No problem.” Nico gave a thin smile, his arms crossed tightly to stifle his urge to grab Mrs. O’Leary back and never give her up, ever. It wasn’t very realistic - Seph wasn’t a big fan of dogs and there were just too many things in the di Angelo home that were super breakable. Still, his heart panged to see the adorable, large black puppy kissing Annabeth’s face, feeling personally insulted that Mrs. O’Leary had moved on.

“So...you never wrote me back. On Instagram.” Annabeth balanced the puppy in her arms and tried to keep it from wriggling away, which was a feat given how wiggly and bubbly Mrs. O’Leary was. Still, Annabeth kept her serious gray eyes focused on Nico - she didn’t seem mad, she even was smiling a bit, but Nico still felt like he was being analyzed under a microscope. 

“Yeah, well, uh...I’ve been busy. With the new job and all.” He gestured to the bakery, where Will was back to blasting music and wrapping orders for them to deliver. 

“Sure, yeah.” Annabeth gave the puppy a few pets, who was now snuggled in her blonde hair and giving her an adoring look. _Traitor_ , Nico thought at Mrs. O’Leary. Annabeth cleared her throat, and gave Nico a firmer look. “Listen, Nico, about what happened-”

“Annabeth. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“I know, I just...we never got to talk, you know? And I wanted to, but I didn’t think you’d want-”

“That I’d want one of my best friends to reach out to me after I confessed my feelings to her boyfriend and punched him in the face all in the same night? Yeah, no thanks.” Nico stuck his hands in his pockets, looking nervously back at the bakery door, hoping Will wouldn’t hear him snapping at Annabeth. 

“Nico, I don’t even care about that, I care about you -”

“Annabeth. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Not...not here, okay?” His request came out more desperate than he intended, and his anger began swirling with the usual sadness that was always waiting beneath the surface. He was surprised to see that Annabeth looked sad too. 

“You know, Nico, you weren’t the only one who lost people that night. I-I lost you too, when you left, you know.”

Nico’s eyes widened, and he whispered in a pained voice, “I-I didn’t leave _you_. You know that, right?”

Annabeth sniffed, using the free heel of her hand to wipe away her tears. “I do _now_ . I didn’t really, _then_. I guess I thought maybe you hated me all that time, for dating Percy, for...for Bianca.” When Nico flinched at Bianca’s name, Annabeth whipped her head up, suddenly putting a mask of neutrality over her expression. “But we don’t have to get into it. Just...just come by sometime, okay? Hang out with the puppy? Catch up with me?” 

“O-Okay.” Nico whispered, and he stood frozen to the spot while Annabeth walked off with Mrs. O’Leary, utterly unsure of what to feel. 

\---

_“Will.”_

_“Hm?”_

_“I, uh…”_

_“What is it? Did you mess up the gingerbread people again? Because I swear if you did, you’re going back to dish duty. We’ve got too many orders to do for you to go all Jackson Pollock with the icing.”_

_“No! No it’s just...uh, you’ve asked me a lot of your...your twenty questions.”_

_“Yes, eleven so far, to be precise. I like to spread them out, get to know you piece by piece so eventually, I will have a way to destroy you.”_

_“Will, stop joking and listen to me. I-I heard from Hazel that twenty questions is like, a two-way game?”_

_“Uh, I guess, sometimes, yeah?”_ _  
  
_

_“Well I haven’t asked you_ _anything!_ _”_

_“Oh! Well not yet you haven’t!”_

_  
__“Do you think I like looking like a jerk? No, don’t answer that, stop grinning, I just - Will, you should have told me I was supposed to ask questions back!”_

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just...wow, you feel_ _so_ _bad right now, it’s hilarious.”_

_“Shut up. I have questions written here so I can catch up.”_

_“You wrote them down?! Aw, Professor Death Boy, you’re such an academic!”_

_  
__“Shut up and tell me your favorite season, Solace!”_

\---

_11 Days in Angel River_

“So, it sounds like you’re taking your meds, you’ve got work, and...you’ve got some pseudo-bonding moments with your father where you watch Friday Night Lights at three in the morning?” Mr. D looked at Nico quizzically towards the end of their therapy session, and Nico rolled his eyes. 

“Please don’t call it bonding - we’re literally just waiting until we can each fall back asleep. And we only talked like, that one time. For all I know he’s just thinking about business meetings in his head.”

“Okay, okay. Well I just mean to say, it sounds like for almost two weeks, you’ve had some significant moments of connection, and you don’t seem as shaken up as you described feeling worried about, before you moved back home.” Mr. D tugged at his beard thoughtfully. “Maybe it would help you to consider some reasons as to why that is, and we could try to translate them into some reachable goals in our next session?”

“Sure, Mr. D - sounds good to me.”

“Oh, and Nico? I was going to wait to ask you this, but since you seem a bit more upbeat today...have you thought of telling your family about your thesis? And school?”

Nico felt his shoulders tense, and his expression grow stony. “Oh, er...no. Not right now.”

“It just might be worth considering in case the university tries reaching out in any way-”

“It’s fine. I’m checking the mail before they see anything.” Nico heaved a sigh. “I’ll...I’ll fix it before I have to tell them anything. That’s the plan, right?”

His therapist gave him a long look, and then glanced at his watch. “Well - we can talk more about it next week, maybe.”

“Yeah…” Nico looked over at the trees, still lacking snow, their bare branches stretching towards the gray sky. He had a shift with Will in an hour, and he needed to get inside and mentally move forward. “Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this was somewhat easy enough to follow! Part II of more montages will come! Also this is going to be a HOLIDAY fic (aka New Year's etc included), because I don't want the story to end at Christmas (.__. )
> 
> Thanks for your sweet comments and for reading this story!


	10. Hearts Beat Loud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My internet has been out all day so this was a labor of love and is bound to have errors I am SORRY. 😂 I just really wanted to update the story. Montages part two is coming soon! For now enjoy the sweet Solace-POV chapter.

Contrary to popular belief, Will Solace did not get crushes often. 

He could appreciate the attractiveness in a person, and he was fast to make friends with almost anyone, but he had never really felt…captivated. Smitten. Heartsick, doe-y eyed, always-close-to-laughing-or-crying kinds of crushes that he would hear others talk about in the hallways of school or in whispers at group sleepovers. He definitely would still  get crushes, but they either felt too out of reach, or too easy. Sometimes someone would come straight to him, and Will would second-guess if he really enjoyed the person or if he preferred the idea of them. Other times he would fall a tiny bit for someone far off, but they were always just enough out of reach that Will didn’t fantasize too much about the possibility of romance. 

He could admit (if he was absolutely smashed) that he was handsome, and had a look that a lot of people enjoyed admiring and pursuing. He had kept some of the lankiness and acne scars from his teen years, but he had managed to fill out a bit around the edges, and his skin always had a mysterious way of looking tan even in the dead of winter. He liked his eyes, which flitted between different shades of blue, and he had learned how to put an outfit together that at least looked  mostly  cute (his sister Kayla still balked at his bright yellow high tops but he disagreed at any and every critique of them). Thanks to his good looks and sunny personality, Will was not unaccustomed to the phone number written on a receipt here and there, or a date over coffee or Indian food, where he usually had a lovely time. However, once the texting would fade, or the date would end in a chaste kiss, if that, Will would find himself sulking back to his room, realizing that there simply wasn’t a spark. 

He loved Hollywood movies, fairytale romances, and pretty much any Taylor Swift song about falling in love one could name – but now, being a bit older, he was beginning to think that maybe something was wrong with him. Maybe sparks didn’t really exist? Maybe he was being unfair to the small handful of suitors and high school dance dates he had entertained but never made something out of.

He would lament about this to Piper, once he lived in Angel River, as she too was single but a fan of all things romantic. She kept her optimism, however, claiming that they just hadn’t met the right people yet. She would note Percy and Annabeth’s obvious mutual adoration that exuded from their pores, or how Frank and Hazel always seemed to be  smiling at each other. She even thought Leo was  actually in capital-L Love with Caly, and that was saying something – Leo had a reputation in high school for falling in love with any girl that so much as passed by him in the hallway, so Piper didn’t usually take his declarations seriously. 

“But Piper, come on – don’t you think it would have happened for me by now? I feel so old.” Will groaned one particular afternoon, after he and Piper had joked about how cuddly Percy and Annabeth were during the movie marathon they held the night prior, though that quickly turned into their own complaints of feeling particularly alone and without a cuddle-buddy. Basking in the sunshine that was breaking through a normally-chilly day in October, Will covered his face in his arms, even when Piper, who was laying beside him, nudged him with a huff. 

“Will – you’re not old. You’re 26. God, don’t let the cronies in Angel River hear you say that.” Piper was picking apart a flower in her hands, glancing at the petals with a faint smile. “I think it’ll still happen for you. And me, for that matter.”

“I don’t know…”

“That’s exactly it, you  don’t know . You’re overthinking it. The spark will come with the right person. I’m sure of it.” She sat up, and brushed the petals and grass bits off her jeans. “Now come on, Romeo – let’s see if Leo’s actually succeeded in making that home theater in my house or if I should call the fire department.”

“I like how when Leo is inventing something, it’s  your house only, even though he’s lived with you for years.” Will remarked with a grin as Piper pulled him up and they began walking back into town. Angel River had so many little pockets of woods and wilderness that one could get lost in, without going very far (or actually getting lost). It had only been a couple of months, but Will was starting to feel more at home there, thanks to the other young people like Piper who took him under their wing of friendship almost immediately. Will figured part of it was the novelty; though Angel River drew in a lot of tourists for Christmas, and campers for summer, it seemed that new residents were rare these days, and Will was dealing with turning down more offers to hang out or go to someone’s house for dinner than he expected. 

When they were nearing the large Mclean home, Will’s fingers brushed against Piper’s, and she looked at him questioningly, taken in his sudden serious face and sad eyes. 

“Do you really think it’ll happen? With the right person, I mean?” Will blushed when he realized he was whispering, as if they were surrounded by hundreds of people and not alone in Piper’s driveway. 

Piper gave him a kind look, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I really do. I just don’t think you’ve met him yet.”

Will was startled. His sexuality was no secret, but he couldn’t recall mentioning that he was gay to Piper. “Him? But I-I didn’t tell you-”

“I have a gift.” Piper shrugged, grinning widely. “Now come on! I think I actually do smell smoke and now I’m a bit nervous.” She bounded off towards the house, and Will heard her yelling for Leo when she opened the front door. 

  
With a sigh, Will followed her in.  Maybe she’s right , he thought, hopefully,  Maybe I just haven’t met him yet. 

And fifty-three days later, Will reached out a hand in the bakery, pulled Nico di Angelo up from the floor, and his heart skipped a beat. 

————-

“Okay, market lunch time. Come on, Death Breath.” Will nudged Nico, who was focused on whisking a meringue in a large bowl, rather unsuccessfully. 

“Ugh, fine – I can’t get this right anyways. I don’t know why you have me help you actually  bake . I’d be fine wrapping things. ” Nico set the bowl down and stared at it in annoyance. Will had to force his eyes to pull away from admiring the way Nico’s nose would bunch up when he was particularly bothered – Will had to do a lot of retraining his eyes to not be creepy, lately. 

“You’re not  so bad at it – also, I can’t say I’m stoked to put you on wrapping duty after the batch yesterday.”

“Hey, I stand by that work.”

“Nico, it was  covered  in tape.”

“Well, more of a challenge for the receiver of the gift.” Nico shrugged as he put on his leather jacket. When they stepped out into the open air, Nico shivered. “Shit, it’s cold.” 

“Don’t you have  any other jacket than that leather one? We get it Nico, you’re alt rock – no need that you have to freeze to death on that hill.” Will arched an eyebrow at Nico from the safety of his own well-insulated jacket. 

“I’m f-fine. Just a bit brisk today.” Nico’s nose reddened and Will chose to roll his eyes instead of swooning. Nico was cute in all forms, but embarrassed had to be in Will’s top three. 

“You’re ridiculous. Here.” Will pulled off his own beanie, a gray knit cap with a cheery white and neon-yellow pom-pom on top. Before Nico could protest, Will forcefully yanked the cap onto Nico’s head, briefly covering Nico’s eyes. 

“Will! Get off!” Nico flailed his arms but Will leaned in, lifting the cap up so Nico could see. Will’s fingers brushed the longer bits of black hair that fell in front of Nico’s ears, and he tucked Nico’s bangs under most of the cap as well. Will had actually marveled at how soft the ink-black mop of hair on Nico’s head looked, and any excuse to touch it, even for a moment, was exhilarating. 

“There, now you won’t get pneumonia – or at least, your chances are lessened.” Nico scowled at Will as they continued walking, but he didn’t move to take the hat off, still blushing furiously. Will beamed. He and Nico had been working together for two solid weeks now, the orders piling up due not just to local orders but tourists too – some would drive into Angel River just for the day, calling the bakery in the morning to see if it was at all possible for them to whip up a pie, or cake, or snowman cookies, all considered delicacies that Will was happy to make and wrap beautifully. Seeing the smiles on the customer’s faces were worth it – it felt like a small ode to when Will would assist in the children’s hospital as a resident, and the small patients would grin up at him when he praised their bravery in the face of shots, broken limbs, and swallowing pills. 

“Whatever – you’re lucky this is  mostly gray. Now, what stand do you plan to binge greasy food at today?” Nico’s sharp little quips broke Will from his thoughts, and he looked around, thinking. 

“Hm, well, let’s see…so far I’ve tried every crepe at the  Crepetacular stand, and I liked those donuts from  Oh Donut Even …ooh, maybe a repeat of that garlic thing from  Happy Fry-Days ?” As he faced the market, looking over the crowd for various food opportunities, Will glanced at Nico, who was staring at him with an odd expression on his face. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…I don’t really remember the market having so many  puns  growing up?” Nico grimaced at the thought. “And none of them are even Christmas-y…”

“Well, I think maybe the market has just brought in more businesses – this is pretty normal in Austin. There’s food trucks galore, but they all have pretty goofy names.” 

  
Nico shrugged. “I guess. I don’t really care what we eat, but if you get those garlic fries again I’m working at the opposite end of the shop from you.” 

Will feigned a crestfallen look, and placed a mittened hand to his heart. Nico rolled his eyes and they kept walking. Will liked seeing all the little gifts and trinkets that different stands came up with, but he had learned fairly quickly that Nico didn’t like being out much in public, especially during the day. Every other time they would go out, someone would manage to see Nico and give a hello, or worse, a series of “What are you up to now?” questions that made Nico’s face go from adorable frustration to semi-murderous. Nico would never say much about who had said hello to him, but Will could gather from the older crowd that they were likely former teachers, or coaches (Will had learned Nico played soccer growing up during one of the twenty-questions rounds), but not people Nico was very  close to. In fact, Will still wasn’t sure where Nico stood with his former friends – Piper mentioned going on a walk with Nico a while back, and obviously Will was present for Leo’s well-intentioned attack of love, but he was still unsure on Percy and Annabeth. When Annabeth had come to pick up the puppy from the bakery, Will stayed inside, but heard snippets of her and Nico talking and…it didn’t all sound bad, but it didn’t all sound very cheery, either. Then there was Percy…  


Percy was still trying in vain to pump Will for more information about Nico, but Will kept very tight-lipped. Though Will knew that Percy had contributed to the ‘welcome home’ messages that the group had sent to Nico, Will got the impression that he was last on Nico’s list to connect with, if he was on Nico’s list at all. 

Naturally, when in line at a grilled-cheese stand that Will  insisted wouldn’t be gross even though the cheese was red and green (“It’s Christmas themed at least!” Will had argued to Nico’s horrified face), the universe would of course send Percy Jackson right to them. 

“Oh! Uh, hi guys!” Percy’s eyes were wide but he looked hopeful. He was holding a large paper bag and gestured to it. “Just doing some Christmas shopping for the fam. What are you up to?”

Will spared a quick glance at Nico, who seemed to have turned to stone, his face blank, but his dark eyes swirling with emotions. 

“Hi Percy, just taking a lunch break.” Will filled in, thinking it was the least he could do for Nico (and the long silence didn’t feel like a great option). “Cold out, though.” 

“Yeah, yeah I know, it’s crazy it hasn’t snowed yet. Any day now and soon we’ll be practically swimming in it.” Percy was scratching the back of his head awkwardly, not taking his eyes off Nico, who was very intently not looking back. “So uh, hey Nico, I was going to ask - ”

“I should get back to the bakery.” Nico’s voice cut Percy off like a sword slicing through the air, his tone on the edge of what Will gathered was annoyance. “We’ve got a big delivery to finish today for Circe's inn.” And before Percy or Will could say anything, he had stalked off, disappearing in the crowd of delighted tourists and lit-up stands. 

Will blinked at the sudden retreat, almost feeling like he should follow – but he was two people away from ordering his lunch, and Percy was standing there, his mouth open like a startled fish, and he figured leaving either wouldn’t do well for them at this point. 

Percy stayed with Will, but was looking down at the ground, dejectedly. It wasn’t until Will ordered (deciding on two normal sandwiches, determining that the festive grilled cheeses actually  did look a bit gross) that Percy let out a sigh, and looked at Will despondently. 

“He’s  never going to talk to me, is he?”

Will shrugged, keeping an eye on the stand for his order to appear. “I don’t know, Percy. Whatever’s going on between you two, it seems like he’s not ready to talk with you yet.”

“But that’s so  unfair! ” Percy practically shouted, and Will gave him a look when several people around them looked at them with concern. Percy didn’t seem to care, looking angry now. “He acts like he’s the only one with problems, but he’s not! I tried to get in touch with him, we all did,  he’s the one who decided to take off without even talking about it - ”

“Percy, please, I really don’t want to – ”

“ – and don’t think Annabeth didn’t tell me what he said to her the other day, not only did he name my dog after my least favorite teacher but he had the nerve to be mean to her? I should lock him in the bakery and force him to talk to me.” Percy looked towards Will as if a lightbulb had suddenly gone off in his head, and Will tried to shut it down quickly.

  
“Absolutely not. I  will kick you out myself if you do that. Not just for Nico’s sake, but that’s where I work, man.” 

Percy sighed, grumbling that he wasn’t serious. Will’s sandwiches arrived on the counter, and he moved to grab them both and head back, turning towards Percy once more, feeling sorry for him, suddenly. The green-eyed boy really  did seem down about this. 

“Look, I’m sure it’ll work out. Maybe he just needs more time.”

  
Percy snorted. “You talk like you know him so well.”

“Well – I am. Like you said, it’s not like you’ve caught up with him recently.” Will bristled, but he and Percy both shared a shocked expression at his sudden snapping back.  Jealousy is an ugly thing, Will , said Will’s mother’s voice in his head, chiding himself for getting defensive over a boy he’d known for a couple weeks. Pining or not, that was uncalled for. 

As Will was giving Percy an apologetic grimace, Percy looked off in the distance towards where Nico had slipped off to. “Yeah well – let me tell you one thing, if anyone can hold a grudge, it’s Nico di Angelo. Just ask him about it.” With an angry sigh, Percy stated that he had to keep shopping, and gave Will a nod as he left. 

—————-

“Sandwich?” 

Will handed Nico the paper tray of food. He had found Nico not inside the bakery, but sitting on the entryway step in the alley, looking glumly at the cobblestone under his feet. Nico had taken the food without even looking at Will, who, despite the chill, decided to plop down next to Nico. 

“You know, maybe if you just tried – ”

“No.” Nico was firm, picking up his sandwich and eyeing it for any unnatural colors. 

“I’m just saying, he seems really – ”

“You don’t know the whole story, Will.” And Nico took a bite of his sandwich, attempting to stop the conversation there. Will felt a streak of annoyance run through him, though whether it was at Percy, Nico, or himself for being so good at staying out of the loop, he wasn’t sure. 

Will heaved a sigh. He figured it was worth a try. “Well, why don’t you tell me a  part of the story, so I don’t keep getting ditched whenever Percy shows up?”

He felt Nico stiffen by his side, and Will leaned into him, just slightly, enough to be able to deny it if Nico gave him grief about it. “You don’t even have to look at me when you tell it. Just,” Will was speaking softer now, hoping to find the right words to communicate safety and trust to the dark eyed boy, “tell me whatever you feel comfortable with, and I won’t say anything. No reactions, no advice. Promise.”

Nico was still silent, holding his sandwich but not eating. His bangs where hiding his eyes, but Will thought that Nico might have been considering his offer to talk.

“Look, I’m going to eat, because I’m very hungry and…if you don’t say anything in ten minutes, we can move on.” Will took a big bite of his grilled cheese at that and glanced at the time – 2:00pm on the dot. 

They sat there for the next few minutes (Will trying not to chew loudly), their sides still touching.  Was Nico leaning back? Will wondered as he noticed their thighs touching, as they propped themselves comfortably on the step. He glanced again at his watch. 

2:08pm.  _Maybe I pushed it too far…_

2:09pm.  _Okay, message received Will, he’s not up for it –_

“I grew up with Percy, like I said.” Nico’s voice was soft and hushed, like the small fluttering of a birds’ wings. Will almost started at the sound, but he urged his body to be still, lest he scare Nico back into the shadows, never to share again. He listened to Nico’s voice and stared straight ahead, almost enjoying the quiet, neutral tone that Nico was taking with his story. 

“I…I know he was basically like family, but…I always liked him. A little bit. Sometimes a lot.” Out of the corner of Will’s eye, he could see that Nico was tearing the crust of his sandwich absentmindedly, not even eating it. “And when I say ‘like’, I-I mean…”

“I know.” Will couldn’t help responding there, pained at how embarrassed Nico sounded, and he raised a hand to his mouth. If Nico noticed, he had decided not to comment on it, and continued.

“Well, I knew nothing would really…you know, happen. I think most of our friends knew I was gay, but if anyone knew about my crush, they never said anything. That almost made it worse sometimes – like maybe it was so impossible that it wasn’t even worth asking about, you know?” Nico’s voice carried the softest hitch at that point, but he pressed on. “Anyway, we were still good friends. We all were – me, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper my sister…uh, sisters, I mean…But…some…some bad stuff happened. I was so mad at him, and I blamed him for stuff that probably wasn’t even his fault but…I don’t know, he was supposed to go with me somewhere, somewhere important, somewhere he promised to go…and it was on the same day as our senior prom, and…he bailed. He bailed to go with Annabeth.” Nico threw a piece of crust on the ground at that and he sounded like he was sneering. “I…I decided to go too, but only to call him out for backing out, and…” 

Nico had gone quiet, but Will didn’t dare look at him. He also felt confused at the plural ‘sisters’, but he had promised not to say anything. He figured that Nico was struggling through this; his sentences were getting a little wobbly at parts and his voice was thick with an emotion Will felt very familiar with. 

Grief. 

“Anyway, we had a big fight. Right outside the school. Quite a show.” Nico gave a dark, humorless laugh. “And Percy said some stuff that wasn’t fair, one of which was something along the lines of how he wasn’t my boyfriend so I couldn’t make him feel bad for not doing something, no matter how in love with him I was. Which led to me acknowledging how I felt, but I was mad. I don’t even  like Percy anymore. I don’t think I even did on that night. By then our friends had left the dance to come find us. And I realized pretty quickly that Percy and Annabeth had been dating, but hadn’t told me. Piper and Leo knew though.” He heaved a sigh, sounding more and more depleted as he went on. “Anyway, by that point, I punched Percy in the face, broke his nose actually, I think, and…and then I left. Some other stuff happened but the day after that, I left town. Went to college and didn’t look back.” Nico stuck out one of his legs to stretch out, still tense but sounding more hardened now. 

“A few of them tried to reach out to me, Percy included…but, I don’t know…I was so hurt, and I think it was good to be away but…every time I thought of contacting them back, it just took me back to that night and all the other stuff. Then, eventually, I don’t know – they stopped trying to get ahold of me, and I stopped caring so much about what happened, but by then it had been like four years so…it felt dumb to reach out then. And now it just feels embarrassing – Piper and Leo I can handle, but Annabeth and Percy…it just sucks. And I know they’ll want to talk about all of it and I can’t…I can’t handle that, not then, not now.”

There were a few beats of silence, and Will realized that the story was over. Braving a look at Nico, he saw that the boy was resting his chin in his hand, propped up on the knee that was leaning against Will’s. Will felt the growing need to envelop his sad, new friend and crush into a hug, but he was pretty sure Nico would put up a fight on that one. He settled for looking at Nico until their eyes met – Nico’s eyes looked slightly wild, in that moment, like he was waiting for Will to prompt him into fight or flight. It wasn’t Will’s first time tending to someone who was so on edge, so clearly hurting inside, and he didn’t flinch, he didn’t say anything, he just let his blue eyes stare deeply into Nico’s deep brown ones. He had actually thought Nico had black eyes, but because they were sitting so closely, Will could see that they were brown, with a myriad of glinting shades that made him think of dark chocolate, or the forest floor after it had rained. 

It was Nico who broke the silence. “Well?”

“Uh, thank you for telling me.” Will blinked; he had meant it when he wouldn’t say anything, though Nico seemed nervous at this outpouring of vulnerability, so he decided to break the no-responding rule. “I can hear how hard that was for you. And I’m really sorry that happened to you. I hope you’ve had enough time now to realize that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

Nico’s eyes slightly widened in surprise, which made Will frown.  Had no one told him this before?

“Far be it from me to give advice, especially when I said I wouldn’t,” Will looked at Nico nervously, waiting for him to stop Will, but Nico just looked at him expectantly, “But Percy doesn’t strike me as like, a homophobic asshole who’s out to chew you out. I never have heard his side of things, obviously, but it seems like he feels really bad. I wonder if one awkward conversation is worth not feeling like you have to leave every time he shows up. But for what it’s worth, I only say that because…well, it’s your town too. You shouldn’t have to hide.” 

Nico absorbed this quietly, and Will felt like that may have been enough sharing for the day. He gave Nico two quick pats on the back, and said, “Let’s go inside. My butt is  freezing on this step and I can make us hot chocolate.” 

They worked the next few hours in a comfortable silence, interjecting with a few of their casual twenty questions here and there. Nico though not completely unburdened, managed to seem a little lighter. Will didn’t know if that meant Nico and Percy would have a heart to heart, but at least it wasn’t this big story that Nico had to carry around and flee from all the time. 

There were no deliveries that night, though a few people had popped into the front end of the bakery to ask for things to pick up for the next morning. After cleaning up, Nico finished his shift, saying he had to go work on his thesis.

“Still writing that thing, huh? Must be a drag.” Will was sitting at one of the now clean tables, going over his order sheet and fitting in the new ones. The days leading up to Christmas were going to be busy…

“Oh uh, yeah, you know, it’s hard to write, and I don’t work very well in the house. I don’t have a desk and it’s…” Nico waved his hands and then shrugged. “It’s just got a weird vibe there. Anyway, I should get going. But, uh, thanks, you know…for today.” 

Will had to fight down his smile at Nico’s pink cheeks, not noticing until now that his blush also reached the tips of his ears. “It’s no problem. You’ve always got a friend here if you need someone to talk to.” Will’s heart panged when he said ‘friend’, but what else was he supposed to say? How did one communicate ‘I’m glad you shared with me and I’d like you to keep doing it, but only after we declare our feelings for each other and make out?’ Feeling himself blush, Will sputtered out, “I-I mean. I like getting to know you. You know – twenty questions and…the deeper…stuff.” He cleared his throat. Smooth. 

“Yeah, thanks, thanks...” Nico trailed off, giving Will a strange look. He opened the door to leave, but stood frozen in the doorway for a few moments, finally turning back. “Hey Will?”

“Yeah?”

“The uh…the bad stuff that happened. That I mentioned earlier?” Nico was tapping the doorway with his long fingers, eyes darting around nervously. 

“Yeah…?”

“It, it was…my sister. Not Hazel. I used to have two.” Nico kept drumming his fingers, looking anywhere but in Will’s eyes. “She…she died. Car accident.” He cleared his throat, and Will could see his eyes shining. “Some school ditch day gone wrong – the other driver came out of nowhere. I…I wasn’t there. Percy and Annabeth were in the car with her though, with some others.”

Will stared at Nico. “Oh…”

“Anyway, I uh…I thought you’d want to know.” Nico cleared his throat, not allowing his eyes to develop any real tears. “I mean uh… I  wanted you to know. You’ve been a good friend and…I don’t know, it’s probably good to know about.”

“Well, uh…thank you, Nico. I’m glad you told me. And I’m so sorry.” Will spoke the last part softly. Nico gave a quick nod, two taps to the doorframe, and then said goodbye, leaving Will to sit at the table with a heavy heart and a head filled with questions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please ignore age changes I took liberties Aka I did not fully think them through lol 😂😂😂


	11. Hands & Hangouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, FINALLY - I've been itching to write but had some other less-fun deadlines to meet. Anyway, here it is! How many times can I introduce a chapter by slipping in that I didn't edit this, until you roll your eyes and tell me you don't care? Who knows!

While it was true that Will’s blue eyes were the first thing Nico noticed about him, Will’s hands were probably the most distracting. Partially, it was how they looked - slightly large compared to the wrists, callouses from a variety of jobs, and tanned and freckled. They were hands that reminded Nico of long days spent in the sun, and of a gentle strength in what they could carry and hold. 

Then there were the mechanics of how Will actually  _ used _ his hands; Will moved his hands a lot when he spoke, which felt like an understated descriptor. If he wasn’t working directly on baking, wrapping, or driving, then Will’s hands were moving quickly to catch up with his words. They waved, they snapped, they clapped, and they swung around wildly, whether he was excited, frustrated, or making conversation. Nico would catch himself staring at Will’s fingers moving deftly through the air, and had to pull his eyes away to make eye contact with Will so as not to appear odd. 

And, how the hands  _ felt _ \- Will also communicated by touch. He expressed joy through hugs and claps on the back. He comforted with a heavy hand on the shoulder, or leaning his body to Nico’s side, tapping their knees together questioningly to get Nico to share what was bothering him. Will would tease Nico by pinching his cheeks, ruffling his hair, or even, much to Nico’s embarrassment, a rather aggressive hip bump that made Nico fall, a finished box of cupcakes he was holding tumbling down to the bakery floor with Nico (Will still felt badly about that one, and Nico relished in laying the guilt on thick whenever he could). 

Nico both enjoyed and hated Will’s hands - he enjoyed them because even if Nico didn’t understand the topic or feel quite as passionate, he liked seeing Will illustrate his point with big gestures and flair. Being touched by Will gave Nico the pleasant feeling of butterflies in his stomach, and Nico could pretend, down in the very dark, closed off part of himself that  _ no one _ got to see, that he was being flirted with.

But, that deep enjoyment sparked the hatred - Nico didn’t  _ want _ to fool himself into thinking this was flirtation. He would often leave his bakery shifts, flustered and blushing, taking the entire walk home trying to talk himself down to reality - a reality in which Will didn’t like him that way, because surely he would  _ not _ like someone like Nico. Will was bubbly, energetic, and social, and Nico was...well. Not any of those three things. He considered himself lucky that Will had chosen him to be a closer friend, and Nico felt that hoping for more, or even imagining a world in which it could be more, was so unrealistic that he was torn between laughing or crying about it. He didn’t even mention the crush to Mr. D, and he had gotten into a pretty good rhythm of telling his therapist everything, even when it felt mortifying or ‘too private’. In order to avoid getting as flustered as possible, Nico would leave almost immediately after his shift ended, claiming he had to go work on his thesis to try and make headway. It was a lie, but then again, was it really that bad to lie to someone that was just a new friend? Will didn’t like Nico that way, and that was that - it’s how it  _ had  _ to be. Nico would go to sleep with a firm resolve that he absolutely wouldn’t swoon over Will Solace anymore, and then a text from Will or their next bakery shift together put Nico back at square one all over again. 

So, it was pretty routine by this point, when Nico, sitting in a chair in the bakery’s workshop to take a break to scroll through his phone, was startled by Will bursting through the door with a late lunch from the market, his free hand ruffling Nico’s black hair. 

“Augh, Will,  _ stop _ !” Nico used his own hands to bat Will’s away, and the impish yellow-haired boy chuckled and sat down next to Nico. Will’s cheeks and nose were reddened from the cold, and he placed the spoils from the market on the table - Nico noticed quickly there was only one large, round container.

“It’s so cold out! I couldn’t resist getting soup this time,” Will tugged the beanie off his head and shook his wavy hair from side to side, “But! They were out of the smaller containers so I just got the big one and thought we could share?” He reached in his jacket pocket and gave Nico a plastic spoon. 

“Oh, um, s-sure.” Nico could feel the flush creeping to his face, and he internally scolded himself.  _ What’s so intimate about sharing soup?? Get a grip, di Angelo.  _ He willed himself to scoop his spoon into the now opened container, telling himself that this was normal. Will took a big bite, and then another, still grinning. He seemed unbothered by the simple act of sharing a meal, so Nico frowned, forcing himself to let go of anything he thought was cute about it. 

“So, are you going to go to the Winter Solstice party in the square tonight?” Will dug into his other pocket and revealed some packets of crackers he must have snatched at the soup stand, and Nico took one, fiddling with the crinkly cellophane. 

“Um...I don’t know? I can’t really remember what it was like when I was growing up and if it was cool...”

“Actually, I think it’s a newer thing. But like, the market will be open even later, and there will be a little ceremony, stuff like that. Wait...isn’t your stepmom speaking at it?” Will gave Nico a look that was borderline shaming. 

“Oh! She mentioned it, yeah, but….look, I can’t keep up with the weird social activities my parents commit to.” Nico shrugged, and reached for the soup container. “If I had a dollar for every single thing they spoke at or cut a ribbon for or danced at, well...I wouldn’t need this job, that’s for sure.” 

“It’s basically what you’re doing since  _ your family pays you _ for this job.” Will pulled the soup away in favor of taking his own bite, and Nico let out a little grumble. One of Will’s eyes gave a charming little wink, and he relinquished the food back to Nico’s long, pale fingers. “You should come. It sounds...pseudo chill, and I’m pretty sure Santa will be there at the end.”

“What does Santa have to do with the Winter Solstice?” 

“Uh, Santa is there for the children, and anyone else who believes in Christmas magic, you grinch.” Will poked Nico’s side, and Nico tried to squirm away.

“Not all of us cry during cartoons and believe in Santa Claus, Will.” Nico’s comeback came off less snippy than he had hoped; he seemed to be in the bad habit of softening his remarks to Will as of late, or letting a smile free to emphasize that he was kidding. 

“Don’t knock  _ Coco _ until you’ve seen it, buddy. It’s practically made for you, by the way - about death and all that. Also I bet you a hundred dollars that you’ll cry harder than I did when we watch it.” Will crossed his arms, looking smug, and Nico fidgeted under his gaze. In their rounds of twenty questions, Will was becoming further appalled at all the movies he hadn’t seen, and there was constant talk of going to Will’s cabin to marathon some. Nico had yet to feel comfortable enough to actually take him up on the offer, and Will, seeming to understand this, never pushed the invite, but instead spoke about it as if the event was just around the corner. 

It wasn’t that Nico didn’t  _ want _ to hang out with Will, outside of work, doing non-work things. The tricky thing was that working at the bakery had quickly fallen into a steady rhythm of banter, organization, and decorating, and Nico worried what he would use to fill the empty spaces that a non-work hangout with Will would bring. He was convinced he would just embarrass himself, whether it be from having nothing to say or saying the wrong thing. It had been a few days since Nico had told Will about being gay, liking Percy, and his sister dying (Nico oscillated between still blushing at how much he had shared so openly to Will, and relief that he had gotten some major points out in one fell swoop). While Will had been comforting and exuded safety, Nico felt fidgety at the idea of their conversations continuing to go... _ deeper _ . He liked their twenty questions. He liked that they touched on heavier things but didn’t dwell in them. He was even, god help him, enjoying making cookies, and croissants, and cakes, and if Nico had been told a year ago that he’d be making a significant upgrade from his ramen-centered ‘cooking’ in the city, he would have laughed his face off. 

“Whatever. You should probably keep your money. Buy more flannel.” Nico snorted when Will balked at him, insisting that this was appropriate Angel River fashion (Nico preferred to stick to his black and grey ensemble, and he’d never trade his leather jacket for another type of covering if he could help it). While Will was defending his style choices, and beginning to mock Nico’s, Nico glanced at the time on his phone and stood up. “I need to take off. Earlier shift today, remember?”

“Do I remember that you’re ditching your duties? Yes, a good supervisor never forgets.”

  
“Oh shut up. You know I’m meeting with Piper and Leo. Didn’t you want me to re-enter Angel River society? Giving Leo’s Nintendo DS back seems like the most important thing on the list.” 

“Okay, okay - the  _ second _ most important thing, though, is coming with me to this party-ceremony-thing. It’s not like your family won’t be there already!” Will was practically whining now as Nico was escaping out the door and into the chill, and the blonde had followed Nico outside and grabbed his sleeve. “Come on! Pleeaaaaase. If you don’t go you’ll not only miss Santa, but you’ll miss my amazing commentary at strange community events. Think of the inside-jokes we’ll develop for our friendship in the years to come. Please! Hang out with me!”

“Good lord, you’re desperate!” Nico was tugging in vain to get his hand back. “Can I go now...what?”

Will, still holding Nico’s hand in both of his, was staring at the space just above Nico’s head, with an awed look on his face. As Nico was asking, “Will, what are you looking at?”, the raven haired boy suddenly felt the sensation of tiny, cold droplets hitting his head and the back of his neck. Startled, he looked up towards the sky. Was that - 

“ _ Snow _ .” Will whispered, his eyes lit up with wonderment, with a smile so bright that Nico almost felt like turning away. He had learned that Will had never seen snow, at some point in their numerous get-to-know-you conversations, but watching Will see snow for the first time was...captivating, to say the least. 

“I can’t believe it.” Will was looking around now, flakes of white now coming down quickly. “It’s beautiful.” One of Will's hands left Nico’s to brush at some snowflakes that had landed on his jacket. “It’s so... _ wet _ ? I didn’t know snow could be wet, that’s so weird.” 

“Uh…” Nico, having no idea what to say, settled on clearing his throat, and tugging his hand a bit more forcefully. Will looked down and seemed surprised that he was holding Nico’s hand, and released it quickly with an apologetic smile.

  
“Sorry! It’s just...this is so cool. Seeing it for the first time.”

“Yeah...” Nico murmured, though he wasn’t looking at the snow, only having eyes for this new version of Will - a Will that was stunned enough to be moved to silence, his openness so beautiful and unnerving that Nico knew he had to bolt before he said or did something stupid. “So, uh...this is...you like the snow?”

“Yes! I think so. Man, I’ll probably just hang out here for a bit, take it all in, you know?” 

“Hmph.” Nico shrugged, managing a thin smile. He liked the idea of snow, when he was safely behind a window and inside with a blanket and a warm fire. “Just don’t freeze to death. That would really put a damper on Santa’s visit tonight.” He gave Will a raised eyebrow, and Will just shook his head slowly, still distracted by the falling snow. 

“You know, this feels like a Christmas miracle, getting to see snow for the first time. Or like, just a really nice present, from like, the spirit of my new home...Oh god, I think I’m going to cry.” Will let out a sniff, and Nico was pretty sure his eyes could be close to being glassy with emotion. Catching Nico’s amused expression, Will suddenly looked down, and scratched the back of his neck. “That’s super dumb, isn’t it?”

Nico had to laugh at Will’s sudden look of shyness and insecurity. He didn’t think it was possible for Will to be self-conscious. But as he saw Will continue to look uncomfortable, Nico felt his heart pulling him into reassuring-mode. “No, Will, it’s...it’s not dumb. I think I’m just more used to it than you are, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it. The snow, I mean...and, uh, your new home here too. That’s...that’s a really cool thing. Honest.” 

Will leaned back to take in the thin layer of white that was building all around them and on the tops of the buildings. “Thanks,” he murmured, and then he was looking at Nico intently. Will suddenly took two steps towards Nico, lessening the distance between their bodies quickly. Before Nico could register what was happening, Will’s warm arms were wrapped around him in a hug. 

“Oh!” Nico felt very thrown off - for all of Will’s touchy-feely patterns, they had only shared maybe one hug aside from this one. 

“Thanks for telling me it’s not dumb.” Will spoke lowly near Nico’s ear, and Nico felt himself do a sharp intake of breath and not release it. Hearing the gentle rumble so close to his own ears, well...it was downright  _ crazy _ how many shivers that sent down Nico’s spine. Wasn’t Nico trying to leave? How did he get here? Or rather, how good was his luck that he ended up with Will’s warm body so close to his? 

Will pulled back, and Nico had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t sigh in disappointment from the hug ending. Will still looked bashful, but a little less uncomfortable. 

“You’re very sweet, Death Boy. I know this...I know it’s weird for you to be back here, so thanks for being excited with me about something.” Will reached out and gave Nico’s nose a light tap. “I’m glad...I’m glad you’re here - that we’re friends, you know?”

Nico felt himself nodding slowly as he stared at Will, his stomach churning with reactions. “You too.” He managed, and then he broke the spell of their mutual gaze by glancing at the time on his phone. “Augh - I really am going to be late. I need to go before it gets dark on me.” 

Will nodded. “You’re right. Honestly, as pretty as this is, I should go in and wrap up before tonight. Plus, it  _ is _ pretty cold. I’ll see you tomorrow, then, yeah?” Will turned to head towards the door, and when he placed his hand on the handle, Nico felt the next sentence tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it. 

“Well uh, actually...I’ll see you at the square, later tonight? Text me?” He almost winced at ‘text me?’.  _ Was that too eager? _

Will’s eyes seemed to sparkle, though Nico wondered if that was just from the joy of seeing snow for the first time. With a tilt to his head, Will looked like he was pondering what to say next. Finally, he nodded eagerly at Nico, and gave his parting words as he stepped into the bakery. 

“Okay! It’s a date!” And Will continued inside and closed the door, leaving a puff of warm air from the bakery that tickled Nico’s shocked face, the heat creating a bold contrast with the chilly snow that had fallen on his eyelashes and cheeks. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to build up to what I hope is a nice Christmas present to you readers (though the story won't be over at Christmas, both in this AU and the real world!) Thanks for reading, commenting, and kudos-ing! It's so nice to hear from you all.


	12. Date or No Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas *crashes*

_4.5 Hours Before the Winter Solstice Party_

Although reconnecting with his friends was proving to be a more pleasant experience than Nico anticipated, he still felt like he was overstaying his welcome. Piper had insisted that Nico come in and try some of the mulled wine she had been working on, the kitchen pungent with the smells of orange peels and cloves. Nico took a sip to humor her - after Will had closed the bakery door with “It’s a date!”, Nico felt like he was going to throw up anything he tried to eat. He was certain that alcohol was just going to go straight to his head, which he did _not_ want, if tonight really was a date. 

_Maybe it wasn’t a date? Will could have just been using it like a phrase...but why would he pick_ _that_ _one, of all things he could have said?_

The questions that Nico had asked himself on the walk over to Piper’s had not quieted, and Nico was jittery, distracted. If Piper noticed, (which Nico thought she may have, since Piper rarely missed even the slightest body language), she had the good graces not to ask Nico about it. Instead, she talked away about how her father, the fabulously famous actor, Tristan Mclean, would be joining the house for the holidays the following evening. Piper was planning to assist in his tradition of holding the town’s largest ornament-swap party in a few days; everyone was welcomed, as long as they brought a wrapped ornament to be part of the most competitive, ruthless, and loud Yankee Swap game Nico had ever witnessed. Though he was not one for crowds, Nico actually liked these parties - the adults were amusing to watch as they squealed and yelled over precious ornaments lost to the next person’s turn. One particular year, Nico remembered watching from the stairway above as Paul Blofis, who was the most mellow of all the parents, ready to throw his drink at Nico’s father, who had decided to steal Paul’s ornament for the last swap, thus securing it permanently to the di Angelo home. Nico tried to remember what it was - something nerdy and niche, like a figurine of an author Paul liked, perhaps. Nico was pretty sure Hades stole it just to get a rise out Percy’s quiet, friendly stepdad. Such was the way of the ornament party. 

“I finally convinced my dad that we’re old enough to participate in the party this year, by the way!” Piper threw some cranberries into the mulled wine batch, stirring it with a long spoon. “I found the best ornament - I can’t wait to see everyone fight over it.”

“Speak for yourself, Beauty Queen.” Leo entered the large kitchen and hopped himself up on the marble kitchen island, despite the fact that there were even barstools he could have sat in (Nico being in the eighth, right on the corner). “I’ve got a handmade ornament that _everyone_ and their mother is going to love.” He crossed his arms, and gave Nico a sudden glare. “By the way, I charged my DS, and it seems my Pokemon Diamond file has been overwritten.”

“ _Interesting_ ,” Nico took a tiny sip of his wine, and kept his gaze away from Leo. “I wonder how that happened…”

“Dude, I know it was you. Who else keeps only ghost Pokemon in their lineup?” Leo wagged a finger at Nico in annoyance. “Infernape and I worked _really hard_ to get all those gym badges.”

“You mean like, the _two_ your file had before I erased it?” Nico snorted, and he thought he could hear electrical pops coming from Leo’s brain while the brunette squawked angrily. “Yeah, that looked like real hard work.”

“Dammit di Angelo! You’ve got no respect for a man’s save file. Just for that, I’m going to give you a five minute hug.”  
  


“Don’t touch me.”

“It’s happening.”

“Boys, not on the barstools!” Piper called out just as Leo was descending on Nico’s small frame, the chair tipping dangerously. “God, Leo, this is your home too, you’d think you’d want to keep it from falling apart?”

“Whatever, Piper. You’re like the lady of the house. I am but a humble peasant child that your father graciously took in.” Leo sighed dramatically as if this made him truly sad, though Nico and Piper knew better. For all of his wanderings, Leo always ended up back at the Mclean’s house, in a room that was made for him and would always stay that way. Tristan had broached the subject of an official adoption, back when Leo and the others were still in high school, but Leo insisted it wasn’t necessary. Nico supposed, in Leo’s own way, that he had his own reasons for keeping those he loved at a comfortable emotional distance - he and Leo were similar in that way. Sometimes things felt too raw and emotional for what they were worth, and neither boy was interested in labels. 

“You’re such a - ugh, okay, whatever. This stuff is done,” Piper gestured to the pot on the stove, “so we won’t freeze at the Solstice thing tonight. Nico, are you going to that?”

Nico was startled by the mentioning of the party - he tried to open his mouth to give a noncommittal reply, but instead coughed and choked on his sip of wine. His face flushing as Piper and Leo stared at him with odd looks on their faces, Nico fanned his hands to his face, trying to will the blood in his cheeks to redistribute to the rest of his body. 

“Wrong pipe,” he croaked, “and uh, y-yes, I think so.” Nico clasped his hands together, and tried to look away from his friends’ glancing at each other and then him again. Thankfully, they didn’t press him on it, and with a quick, “Well, I’ve got to get back”, Nico was out the door before he could say anything else embarrassing. 

  
  
  


_3 Hours & 26 minutes to the Solstice Party _

_Will: hey! Are u still down to go w/ me to the solstice party ? text 2 confirm !_

_Nico: Hi - yes, sounds good._

_Will: great ! why don’t I pick u up like 15min before it starts?_

_Nico: Oh, you don’t have to, I can walk._

_Will: shut up ghostie! U will freeze :P im driving u no exceptions lol_

_Nico: OK, fine. Pick better music this time for the drive._

_Will: just for that u r getting more taylor swift !_

_  
__Nico: Ugh - see you soon._

_Will: see u :) :)_

_2 Hours & 10 minutes until the Solstice Party _

“Hey, Seph wants to know what you’re wearing to the thing tonight, and dinner’s ready, are you - Nico? You okay?”

Nico glanced at his sister Hazel with a worried expression. Arms crossed, with one hand placed thoughtfully on his chin, Nico had been staring at his closet for the past thirty minutes. He glanced at the small clock on his nightstand and winced - make that forty-five minutes. 

“I, uh…” Nico trailed off, and ran his hands nervously through his hair. He and Hazel had certainly talked about boys plenty, but never anything serious on Nico’s end. He also felt stupid, feeling like he must have gotten mixed up somehow and this was definitely _not_ a date. 

“Should I be worried about you? You look like you’re going to be sick.” Hazel stepped into Nico’s room, and reached out a hand to touch his forehead. 

“Ugh, no, no, it’s...it’s dumb. I’m not sure what to wear.” Nico shuffled his feet and looked down at the ground. Hazel, not quite sensing the severity of the issue, let out a chuckle. 

“What does it matter? Everything you own is black!” 

  
“N-not...Not _everything_.” Nico’s horror was growing. “Hazel,” he took an inhale, bracing himself, “I-think-Will-and-I-are-going-on-a-date-tonight.”

Hazel blinked a few times, then frowned in confusion. “I’m sorry, what? You said that _so_ fast.” 

“Oh god, Hazel, please don’t make me say it again.” When his sister gave an apologetic shrug, Nico groaned and put his face in his hands. As he hid, Nico took a few breaths and told her about the exchange with Will earlier that day, slowly. When he was finished, Hazel gave a small hum of understanding, and he risked peeking through his fingers towards his sister. He was relieved to see that she was keeping her cool, offering him a quiet smile. 

“Well...here, let me try.” Hazel swooped into Nico’s closet without another word, and within minutes she had emerged with jeans, and a deep green sweater that Nico was pretty sure had been a leftover Christmas gift from Seph, years ago (she was always trying to gift little bits of color into Nico’s wardrobe, though without much success). 

“I figure, if you aren’t sure it’s a date, and maybe you _want_ it to be,” Hazel glanced at Nico cautiously as if he would bolt at the notion, “then you can do something that’s a little unique and nice, but not over the top. And I mean, now that it’s snowing, you’re going to be bundled in a bigger jacket anyway so...I guess it’s just up to you to make your hair presentable and that might be all that matters.” She shrugged, and then let out a squeak of surprise when Nico lurched forward and grabbed her in a tight hug. 

“Thank you.” Nico whispered against Hazel’s hair, his marginal height still keeping him above his sister by a few inches. He was so grateful for Hazel, and also so embarrassed. Nico didn’t think he could handle glee and excitement right now, being as nervous as he was, and Hazel just seemed to _get it_. “And tell no one.” he added, giving her a squeeze that she returned. 

Hazel laughed, gave her brother a kiss on the cheek, and left Nico to change outfits for the evening.

_1 Hour & 37 minutes to the Solstice Party _

When Nico finally came downstairs and to the dining room, he was surprised to see the area in such a casual state. Seph had pulled her chair up next to Hazel, and there were makeup brushes and tiny jars of power next to their dinner plates. On the table beside them were also some small pine cones, bits of holly, clippings of various ivy and other plants from Seph’s garden. Seph was currently weaving these materials into Hazel’s hair, which had been piled into an elaborate braid on top of her head. Hazel had golden eyeshadow brushed heavily on her lids, and tiny gems dotting the corners of her eyes. In a soft, luxurious looking white sweater, and the crown of winter plants that Seph was arranging, Hazel looked like a little sun goddess, and she beamed when she saw Nico. 

“Check it out! We’re being a little creative this year.” 

Seph was in a similar make up as Hazel was; holly and vines were woven into her hair and she looked like a regal queen of nature. Somehow, much like her talent with plants, Seph had managed to make her and Hazel standout, but in a tasteful, unique way. Nico remembered vaguely that the Winter Solstice had a lot of nature themes to it, though this definitely kicked it up a notch. Upon seeing Nico enter the room, and wearing her gift of a green sweater from long ago, Seph gave an excited gasp. 

“Nico - you _must_ let me do your makeup too. I can put things in your hair, and you’ll be my little solstice prince to go with my princess.” Seph gave Hazel’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze, and stood to walk towards Nico. “Now, your father won’t so much as let me put _concealer_ on him, but I bet if you do it he might -”

“Noooo Seph, noooo way.” Nico waved his hands in front of his body, warding Seph away from coming near his face. “I’m not doing that - I’m meeting up with a friend in a bit to go to this thing, I don’t want to be part of the _show_.”

“It’s not a _show_ , it’s a beautiful ritual celebration we can do as a family,” Seph’s eyes flashed mischievously, but she also sounded like she was ready to beg Nico to participate, “and you wouldn’t have to do _anything_ , save for walking into the square together and _maybe_ helping with the candle lighting?” 

“Like I said, Seph, I’m meeting someone -”

“Hmmph!” Seph crossed her arms, looking like a forest nymph whose tree Nico had just cut down. “You used to let me do your makeup.”

  
“When I was _eight_!” Nico emphasized, and he sat down to take some bites of the meal that had been left on a plate for him. He noticed, with a quick glance, that Hades’ spot was empty of food, which either meant his father had eaten or was holed up eating dinner at work. “Also, I had sisters, and that’s always what they wanted to do - what was I supposed to do?” He shrugged, not noticing Seph and Hazel look at each other at the plural of ‘sister’. 

“ _Fine_. Attend the Solstice Ceremony like any other townsperson. See if I care.” Seph waved her hand at Nico as she drifted away from the table. “I’m going to continue getting ready, and if you want, you can at least journey down with us?”

“Seph, I told you, I’m meeting -”

But Seph gave a sniff of disapproval, that Nico knew was only half serious, and exited the dining room. Hazel was giggling, a hand brought up to her lips, her nails a shiny color. Nico glanced at his, though he knew they were the usual chips of the black polish he had gotten in the city years ago and re-purchased every so often, when he needed to double down on his style preferences. He wanted to laugh at the idea of Seph dressing him up like a woodland elf, and chewed his food instead. Will would certainly get a kick out of that, but Nico wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

_45 minutes until the Solstice Party_

_Will: hi ! u good if i pick u up in like 20 ? we can get better spots._

_Nico: Yeah, totally fine - I’m ready when you are._

_Will: sweet! I texted Piper & Leo too & they r coming with us ! they will b in my car when we pick u up :) _

_._

_._

_._

_._

_40 minutes until the Solstice Party_

Nico stared his phone, his heart at the bottom of his stomach. He had been sitting in the living room killing, admiring the art that Seph had put up since he last lived in the home. Hazel and Seph continued to prep and preen, and Hades blew in at some point just to change his outfit to go out all over again. Nico was secretly listening to their laughter (and what sounded like Hades’ protests about some sort of ‘halo’ Seph had constructed for him), when the text from Will pinged him. 

_Not a date then._

Nico’s heart decided to do it’s well practiced turnaround from sorrow to fury, and he scowled as he typed his reply:

_Nico: Hey, sorry, I actually don’t need a ride. My family wants me to come with. See you guys there._

With that, he shut off his phone. Glancing at the bar to his left, and hearing his family laugh and chat in the other room, Nico let out a long, lonely sigh, and stared at the ceiling, wondering what the next best move was. After a bit of silence, Nico brought his fingers to the pinched part of his brow, the deepest part of his frown, and exhaled again. 

“Fuck it.” He muttered to himself, and he poured himself a drink, swallowed it quickly, and replenished the glass. He was going to need at least a light buzz if he was going to survive what he was going to do next. 

“Alright Seph,” Nico announced as he swung the door to the dining room open, his family giving him surprised looks, “Make a Solstice Prince out of me.”

“Really?” Seph’s eyes were wide with excitement, but she looked like she was trying to muffle her hopefulness in the possibility that Nico was pranking her. Hades was frowning at Nico as if he was sure he was. 

“Why the hell not? You need someone to match Hazel.” Nico sat in the free chair, close to Seph’s creative materials, and set his drink down. As Seph scurried over to him, already grabbing pieces of nature to hold up against his black hair, Nico gave his father a long look over his stepmother’s head. 

“Also,” and Nico gave a slow, lazy grin, the alcohol giving his brain a pleasant, fuzzy feeling, “if Dad dresses up too, then we can _all match_ . As a _family._ What better way to support you for leading the party tonight?” 

As Nico closed his eyes so Seph could apply some liner, the last thing Nico saw was his father’s look of dumbfoundment, though whether it was at his son’s sudden participation in family events, or the growing realization that a pinecone halo was in his very near future, Nico didn’t know, and he didn’t care. 

_The Solstice Party _

The Solstice Ceremony, Party, Ritual, whatever you wanted to call it, was usually a more humbly attended event, though it seemed the promise of Santa’s appearance and Seph’s general popularity in the town drew a bigger crowd. Nico supposed it could have grown more popular over time, too - it wasn’t like he had been here to see which events and traditions grew and which ones had fallen to the wayside. 

There was a small stage in front of the giant Christmas tree in the town square, and Persephone led her family towards it proudly, the crowd parting for them as if they were a royal family. Nico supposed they _did_ look a bit royal; Hades may have talked Seph into pairing down his crown, and Nico pretty much only allowed eyeliner and no gems, but they still maintained a cohesion of nature glamour and winter cheer. Nico had to admit that it was rather fun dressing up, when you did it in a group. 

While Hades would serve as her strong, supportive partner in the background, Seph had instructed Nico and Hazel to help light the candles that the town had picked up from surrounding baskets, for the closing blessing. “You can just stay in the crowd afterwards, since after I’m done we’re supposed to _make way for Santa_.” Seph rolled her eyes at the Hallmark-intrusion on one of her favorite days of the year, but she seemed in great spirits. 

Nico actually hadn’t seen Will in the crowd, though he was bracing himself to. He had felt embarrassed that he thought it was an _actual_ date, and that really it was just a group of friends gathering for the evening. Nico was also embarrassed, in a deeper part of his psyche, that he was so disappointed, and annoyed. He hadn’t known Will for very long, and he didn’t like the way this shiny person was swaying Nico’s emotions so easily. 

Thankfully, Nico didn’t have to dwell much on it, because after a very confident walk to the stage, all Nico had to do was sit on the edge with Hazel, holding their own candles and matches, while Seph had the floor. Seph was wearing a floor length coat that was black, but had intricate gold and green patterns sewn into it. She had given her face a bit more highlighter and gems than Hazel’s and Nico thought she really did radiate a natural, wild beauty that was otherworldly. He felt proud to have walked in with his family, in this moment, slightly quirky but respected and awed; Nico wished he felt this way with his family, and with himself, all the time, but he was glad to have at least this night (and the extra boost of confidence his drinks gave him). 

“Though the winter solstice is the darkest day of the year,” Seph began with her arms clasped in front of her, and she took on a tone that reminded Nico of when she would read him bedtime stories, “this is a time to celebrate light. It is a time to celebrate that even in the darkest of times, each day forward will always bring more and more light. We also celebrate the darkness, not because it is our favorite place to be, because oftentimes it isn’t, but because it is necessary. ‘Darkness exists to make light truly count’, so says a favorite song of mine. So often we forget that we only enjoy the flowers of spring, or the fruit on the trees in summer, because winter was there to fortify them. Winter may show us barren branches, but this is when the strength of the tree is tested; Winter is when we remind ourselves that even when we cannot see it, light is working in us always.” 

Seph was moving her arms in the air, and the crowd was captivated by her charming speech, Nico included. It was laced with an affection that, when Seph would glance at her stepchildren, or Hades, Nico realized was directed towards them. Perhaps, in some way, the speech was meant for Seph’s family, though she probably would never say, and the townspeople would never know, given how smitten they all were with Seph already. 

As Seph concluded her speech, she motioned for Nico and Hazel to stand. “You all have grabbed a candle on your way in, yes? My children will light them for you. Once your candle is lit, turn to the person next to you and light theirs. The solstice represents an ending, and a new beginning. As your candle is lit, take a few moments to ponder on how this year has treated you. What fruits of your labors do you see? What storms have you seen your own roots weather? Give thanks for the light, and the darkness, and we will blow out our candles together, saying goodbye and thank you to another year lived.” 

Nico and Hazel moved quickly through the crowd, picking a few people along the way to light candles for, helping the flames grow in number until the square was a scene of twinkling lights. Nico was grateful that, although he was probably still a popular topic of gossip for being back in the town, that people chose to focus on the reflective moment, giving Nico no more than a grateful nod as he lit their candle and went on his way. 

Once he made it to the back of the crowd, he saw Hazel connect with Frank, wrapping him in an affectionate hug. A few people behind were Will, Piper, and Leo, who all smiled and waved when they made eye contact with Nico (Will especially, though Nico was _not_ noticing). Keeping his face neutral, he wove his way to the end, and after a pause, reached out his candle to Leo. “Need a light?”

“Oh baby you know I do!” Leo winked and lit his candle, passing the flame to Piper, who then passed it to Will. “I was going to give you a hard time for ditching our caravan but dayummm, you and your family look like Lord of the Rings characters or something. It was sick.”

“The eyeliner is definitely a keeper, Nico.” Piper beamed, and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. “Will, what do you think?”

Nico forced himself to look at Will, and was satisfied to see that his blonde friend (not _date_ ), was staring at Nico, a faint blush on his cheeks. It seemed to take Will a moment to register that Piper was speaking to him.  
  


“Y-yeah! You guys look great.” Will toyed with the wax dripping down his candle, and looked back at Nico bashfully. “So you had a nice time going with your family?”

Nico gave a grin that he hoped made him look aloof, like he strode into the town with eyeliner all the time. “Oh yeah, _definitely_. I’m glad I went with them. Good bonding time, you know?” He looked straight at Will as he said this, his grin widening while Will’s blush deepened. 

“Don’t look now, but I think we’re supposed to blow our candles out now.” Piper motioned to the front where Seph was raising her own candle, encouraging everyone to do the same. Eventually, the crisp night air rang with the collective sounds of blowing air onto a flame, and the square suddenly seemed considerably darker, until…

“Ho ho ho!”

A deep bellow rang from another street that opened up into the square, and the giant Christmas tree’s lights began blinking in a whimsical pattern. Nico could hear jingling bells, and the crunch of what sounded like a small army moving in the snow towards the square, but it was very fast paced...maybe not human?

With a bellow, a reindeer came onto the scene, with three others, all linked together by red straps adorned with silver bells. They pulled a large, ornate red sleigh, which had not only a giant sack of what Nico could only assume were presents, and, of course - 

Exclamations of “Santa!”, “Santa’s here!”and “Oh my gosh!” rang through the crowd, the most enthusiastic ones coming from the children. A man dressed in traditional red and white Santa-robes waved a mittened hand to the crowd as his sleigh pulled up by the small stage, where Seph was still standing with her blown out candle, a bemused look on her face at the colorful display. 

Santa hoisted himself out of the sleigh and trudged up on the platform with her, and gave her a bow, before declaring “Thank you, Miss Seph di Angelo, for such a beautiful ceremony! I hope we remember your lessons this Christmas season! Ho ho ho! Now who wants to meet Santa?” The children screamed and the crowd began moving forward, and Nico noticed some people dressed as elves began helping people line up by Santa’s sleigh.

“Is it just me or...is this Santa like, kind of buff?” Will said to the group, craning his neck to get a better look. Piper joined him, standing on her tiptoes.

“Huh, maybe, I don’t know - oh god.” She suddenly ducked down, her eyes wide. When Nico and the others looked at her in confusion, she gestured them to come closer, and they huddled in a small circle (Nico ignored how Will smelled like cookies and clean laundry and pine). 

“ _That’s my dad.”_ Piper hissed, and Leo immediately sprang up to get a better look at Santa, bowing down quickly with a “Holy shit” and wide eyes. 

“Your dad is SANTA?” Will looked flabbergasted, and Nico wondered if he was a fan of Tristan McLean’s (mostly shirtless) action films.

“I thought he wasn’t in till tomorrow night?” Nico cocked his head in confusion at Piper and Leo, who looked shaken.

“This must be his weird way of...surprising us? Oh god. This is so embarrassing- everyone is going to hit on my dad and he’s dressed as Santa.” Piper groaned and Leo looked equally mortified. 

“Maybe uh...maybe we should go? Before they all figure out who it is and associate him with us?” Leo glanced his eyes around, as if someone could approach them at any second. 

“Ugh, yeah, let’s high tail it back home. Thanks for the ride Will, but we gotta _go._ I’m not going to hear the end of this.” 

“Better move fast - sounds like it’s sing-a-long time.” Will gestured his head towards the front, where one could hear Tristan McLean’s earthy timbre lead the crowd in a spirited, “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

“Why couldn’t my surrogate father be a mild mannered English teacher, like Percy?” Leo lamented. With a hasty goodbye, he and Piper disappeared, leaving Nico alone with Will in the crowd.

“So uh,” Will turned to Nico, his hair sticking out of his beanie like little rays of a sun, “Did you actually have a nice time? Or were you saying that just to guilt me?”

Nico blinked, and decided to focus his gaze ahead as he stood side-by-side with Will. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered. 

“Oh don’t give me that - we aren’t in junior high anymore.” Will sounded impatient, and he poked Nico in the side. While this had become a usual occurrence, Nico quickly flinched away as if Will’s touch burned him. He reached to tuck his hair behind his ear, ignoring how his fingers caught on the bits of flowers and holly that Seph had tucked there. There was silence on Will’s end, and then Nico was jostled by Will’s shoulder pressing into his own.

“I just - I thought inviting Piper and Leo would be okay. They mentioned you had told them you were going to this and I figured...the more the merrier?” Will’s eyes were worried, and he was looking at Nico like he might bolt any second (and if he was being honest, Nico was more than considering it, especially when Will’s comment was hitting the nail on the head of his annoyance). 

Nico huffed out a “I don’t care about that”, and moved to leave, but Will’s hand shot out quickly and grabbed Nico’s wrist, just above the gloves. Nico could feel his skin flare up at Will’s touch, and he refused to look at him, staring instead at the celebrations towards the front - the caroling was continuing and only growing louder, and Nico couldn’t hear himself think anymore. Pulling Nico back to his side, Will leaned down to whisper in Nico’s ear. 

“I like your hair, by the way.” Will’s low voice made a shiver run down Nico’s spine, and the effect lingered as he felt Will’s warm breath tickling his ears. “Maybe I should call you Forest Boy, hm?”

Nico tried to roll his eyes, but he was blushing. “Oh w-whatever, Solace. Just let me listen to the song, I actually like this one.” He scoffed and kept staring ahead, and Will pulled away with a laugh. Nico wanted to be annoyed with Will, but it was proving to be impossible. 

As the crowd reached the bridge of the song, the long melodies mixing pleasantly, Will slowly released his hold on Nico’s wrist, facing the front to watch and listen as well. As his fingers opened, Will’s fingers slipped down Nico’s hand, and one by one they slid from touching Nico, until his pinky finger stilled over Nico’s own. In painstakingly slow movements, Will twisted his hand so that his pinky became lightly interlocked with Nico’s - loose enough to be broken, but close enough to show this was intentional. Nico heard Will sigh in a pleased way, and his pinky tightened over Nico’s once, and then loosened, almost like Will was given a little heartbeat of affection through the smallest touch.

And Nico, whose ears were roaring with the increasing sound of his heart pounding against his chest, against all odds, twisted his finger so it squeezed Will’s right back, as they both stared ahead at the caroling, the celebrity Santa, and the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree before them. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One time my crush texted me asking if I wanted to go with them to an event, and after I wrote yes, they said great and that they had also asked two of our other friends - hence Will doing the same dumb text ;_; lol I am glad my early twenties are OVER. 
> 
> It’s Christmas tomorrow in real life and not in this AU 🥲 this story has hilariously gotten away from me. Comments and kudos appreciated! Lemme know what you’re hoping to see next, I’m curious...


	13. The Montage Part of the Movie, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This oscillates between past and present and so I tried to label it as best as I could. Hope it's not too confusing! But at least it'll be Christmas in this story soon :-)

_The Past - June_

_To:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_

 _From:_ _hestia@nru.edu_

_Subject: Checking in_

_Dear Nico,_

_I’ve yet to hear back from you on the next chapters for your thesis. I know you like to have your space during the writing process (a method I completely understand, by the way), but I felt concerned when you didn’t show up at our scheduled advising session this week. Could you get back to me and let me know if everything is alright with you?_

_My ultimate concern is your well-being through this project - I know that a thesis can be a labor of love, and in your case, as we discussed last month, a labor of grief as well. We can always rework the timeline on the chapter delivery if needed. Ultimately, your scholarship depends on this work, but I’m sure we could work something out - the committee would likely understand should you need more time. Please get back to me when you can._

_Best,_

_Dr. Hestia_

The Di Angelo Household, 3am, Some Random Night in December 

“So, how’s the thesis coming?”

Hades and Nico rarely spoke to each other directly, even at the mandatory Friday night (and then some) dinners. Whether it was out of a begrudging annoyance or wariness, Nico couldn’t say - his emotions certainly fluctuated depending on the day.

However, when Nico would wander downstairs between 12-3am, the only light present from the glow of the television screen, Hades would chat with him. Only about the show, _Friday Night Lights_ , of course - admittedly, Nico would sometimes fit episodes in at other times, like during lunch at home or even at the bakery with Will (“You have to watch this one with me, I want to see your reaction!”, Will would argue), and so Nico would have to fill his father in on what had happened since their last early morning/late night ritual. 

Hades wouldn’t come at the same time as Nico did, but he always managed to wander in at some point, his first words spoken to Nico usually a question about what was happening on the screen, like “Did that stupid murder plotline with the teenagers resolve itself?”, or “Why is the Coach wearing red and not blue now?”

He couldn’t say he liked shared these odd hours with his father, but he was finding, as he spoke with Hazel and Mr. D about it, that he didn’t hate them either. Nico had dreaded moving to Angel River, but he dreaded seeing his father even more. Something about interacting with him at 3am, tiredness marked under both pairs of their eyes, softened the anxiety of being around him. It meant Nico was less prickly, and Hades was less...well, less of his usual calculating personality. 

Nico didn’t particularly mind filling his father in on the show, given that the other option would be to talk about...how his day went, or what Hades was doing at work, all very _familial_ things that their relationship lacked, and felt impossible to breach. Nico hadn’t ‘caught up’ with his father in years. Ever, really, if he thought too deeply about it, but he usually tried not to go there. “Everyone’s got daddy issues, Nico,” Mr. D would say as he took a sip from his thermos, “it’s just about what you do with them that counts.” 

Feeling himself bristle, as if he was a porcupine with quills ready to leap up and stab anyone that came near, Nico crossed his arms and stared pointedly at the screen. “It’s fine,” he said flatly, “Nearly done with it.”

“I see.” Hades was swirling his drink; he was never seen without a nightcap at this time of night. Nico willed himself not to look at his father, and tried to listen to the Coach on the TV, rousing his team for yet another game of football. 

_Maybe that’s all he wants to know. Maybe -_

“So does this mean you’ll graduate this semester? If you’re almost done?” Hades had a curious tone to his voice, but Nico knew better than to assume it was just a father checking up on his son out of care. Hades’ check-ins usually related to his own concerns with how his childrens’ actions reflected upon the di Angelo name, and his own image as a father, businessman, and town celebrity. Nico had been in enough scrapes in high school to see right through any prodding from his father. It was one thing if Seph asked - sure, she might relay the information back to Hades, but Nico knew she was also inquiring because she loved Nico and Hazel as her own. 

Nico’s arms tightened around himself, and he felt his stomach plummet. Steadying his breathing, he said softly, “Sure. That’s the plan.” He spared a glance at his father, who was gazing up at the TV on the wall, nodding slowly. 

“Well. That’s good then. It’s a fine thing to have a masters’ degree. You should be proud of yourself.” Hades took a drink and crossed his legs, leaning further back into the chair he always claimed during this time (if he had ever tried to join on the couch, Nico would probably die of shock, much like he was doing now). 

“Uh, thanks...Dad.” Nico reminded his jaw to close shut and tucked his legs up to his chest. Rarely had Hades doled out praise; he was much more generous with his daughters, and Nico had been in enough gender theory courses and therapy to understand that Hades lacked the emotional awareness on how to raise a son in the 21st century. Nico used to crave any semblance of this praise - if Nico was 12 years old, in this moment, his heart would be soaring, and his smile would last for the rest of the week. Now, all Nico could do was frown, while feeling like his insides were cold and hollow. 

_Too little, too late_ , is what Nico would have said, if he was being honest. Whether he’d be saying that to his father, or to himself, well...Nico supposed it would be to both, if all the secrets were _really_ out in the open. But they weren’t, and Nico was fine with that.

“Did the cheerleader end up with that ruffian or the quarterback?” Hades was back to the show; it was as if his personal questions to Nico had never occurred. 

Exhaling in relief, Nico grabbed a blanket nearby, and draped it over himself. “I’ve got a lot to catch you up on,” he mused out loud, and he and his father went back to the seemingly simpler world of Dylan, Texas. 

_The Past - August_

_To:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_

 _From:_ _hestia@nru.edu_

_Subject: Moving Forward_

_Dear Nico,_

_I’m terribly sorry for how our meeting went earlier today. I was glad you had shown up, though my frustration at your recent silent period also had caught up to me. I was hopeful we could come to a compromise regarding taking time from your thesis to reassess, but I could see how this might have felt like a betrayal from me as your advisor._

_Please do not misunderstand me - your thesis topic is strong, as is your writing. Since I had you in my 101 course, I had no doubt you could accomplish this intellectual feat and more. However, perhaps we should have explored your emotional health more before we got so far along in this project. I’ve noticed the wear it’s putting on you, and lesser academics than you have struggled with the same thing around this topic._

_My hope is to see you graduate because you have come so far in the program, and your current roadblocks shouldn’t be what stands between you and having ‘MA’ come after your name. I am also concerned as I’ve been informed that if you lapse without any official communication with the university, your scholarship will be revoked and you’ll owe payment for this semester._

_Your thesis doesn’t have to have all the answers, Nico - I know I certainly don’t. Please don’t feel like you have to give up simply because there are things you aren’t ready to dive into. We can always find a new, lighter direction and call it good._

_I hope to hear from you soon,_

_Dr. Hestia_

_The Present - The Solstice Party, 5 minutes of Pinky-Holding Later_

“Nico! There you are! You’re not going to believe this, but I think Santa is Tristan Mclean!” Hazel’s voice rang over the caroling and through the crowd, and Nico quickly pulled his pinky away from Will’s, turning to see his sister and her boyfriend appear from his left. Hazel was grinning and holding Frank’s hand tightly, and Nico felt a pang of annoyance that very rarely was directed towards Hazel. 

“We know. Piper and Leo saw and ran away.” His voice sounded neutral enough, surely? 

“I can’t believe he did that. I heard he’s got quite the personality, but…” Frank was shaking his head and chuckling. 

“We were going to grab some treats while the market is still open,” Hazel pulled at one of the leaves that was tied up in her hair, “but I think I’ve got to get this stuff out of my hair before it’s there permanently. Are you about ready to go, Nico?”

“Oh! Um...” Nico turned to Will sharply, who he hadn’t looked at during the semi-hand holding. He almost had to turn away again, because Will was looking _absolutely_ adorable. Will was giving a small, polite smile to Hazel and Frank, but he looked like he was practically glowing from the inside out, and his eyes were crinkled when he looked at Nico. With a small bounce on his heels, Will clasped his hands behind his back and filled in the pause. 

“It’s a bit late for me, so...I’m going to turn in. But Nico, I’ll see you at work yeah?”

“Uh…” _Words, Nico, words._ “Y-yup, sounds good Will.”

“Alright then! Frank, Hazel - good to see you.” With a nod, Will turned and left, and Nico felt absolutely dumbfounded at the evening he just had. 

_The Past - Early September_

_To:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_

 _From:_ _hestia@nru.edu_

_Subject: Please Reply_

_Nico,_

_I’ve been informed by my colleague that you have shown up for some of your classes, but I’ve yet to see you. In fact, I’ve noticed you haven’t registered for your thesis units as we had planned. Please respond ASAP - I’m not sure what to tell the committee at this point if I do not hear from you, and you know this will affect your funding._

_Dr. Hestia_

_The Present - The Bakery_

“Will -”

“Hold still-”

“Will, I can’t-”

“Shh, let me-”

“For god’s sake, Will, _please_ -”

“Augh! Shit! You broke it!”

“Me?!”

“I’ve got a steady medic’s hand, yours were all over the place.”

“Honestly, Will, this is stupid. No one is going to be looking _this_ closely at a damn gingerbread house.”

Will glared up at Nico, holding the tiny broken ‘window’ made of sugar. They were both hunched over a very large gingerbread house that Tristan Mclean had ordered for the ornament party that was happening that evening. Will had decided that not only did said gingerbread house need to be meticulously and extravagantly detailed, but there were go-withs that were needed as well; Nico had spent the better part of two hours working on tiny gingerbread houses for the ‘village’, and using icing to glue yellow and tan colored jelly beans to make up the ‘cobblestone’ streets. He then moved to helping Will place little windows made of melted sugar into the openings of the house, which was proving to be a difficult process.

“First of all, who _doesn’t_ get close up to a gingerbread-village-centerpiece at the most famous Angel River resident’s party, and secondly, Mr. Mclean is paying _extra_ to have this order done, so I want it to be perfect.” Will reached across the table for his little reserve of windows that he had made, though the supply was dangerously dwindling. 

“Ugh, Will, ‘Mr. Mclean’, really?” Nico groaned and pressed his fingers to his eyelids, “Don’t tell me this is like a weird celebrity crush thing going on, because if it is I’m not helping you anymore. I’ve known the guy since I was a kid.”

“W-what?! Excuse me,” Will sputtered, his face reddening and his hands gesticulating in a panic, “I do _not_ have a crush on Mr. Mclean, I’m just being respectful because he is an adult and it reflects poorly on the business if-”

“You’re too easy.” Nico grinned and walked away from the table that held the house and village, looking for a discarded piece of broken gingerbread to nibble on. “You’re not even working at this party, we’re going as guests.”

“And participants! Don’t forget - I snagged an extra ornament for you because I’m super nice, even though you break everything you touch in here.” Will was using icing to make little window panes now, his eyes far too wide and his tone too sharp - Nico was beginning to think this project was pushing Will into his competitive qualities, and the only one he was competing with was himself. 

“Yes, once again, _thank you, Will_. I am just a troll that ruins all your fun, and I forget to get my own ornament.” Nico hopped on the table opposite Will to sit and eat his gingerbread. He noticed the blonde gave him a worried look, and Nico rolled his eyes at him - was Will so focused on an edible mansion that he couldn’t detect Nico’s sarcasm anymore? 

_That’s probably all it is,_ Nico told himself. When he had arrived at the bakery earlier that morning, Will was already buzzing about this project, pulling trays and trays of gingerbread walls and roofs out of the oven, and Nico had no choice but to dive right in. Will seemed normal, except for one thing - he hadn’t touched Nico all day. Which, Nico knew if he said out loud, would sound like an odd thing to care about, but Will was a _touchy_ person. Normally, Nico would panic that Will had gone back on whatever affection he offered at the Solstice Party last night, deciding that Nico was not worth his interests; thankfully, Nico was observant enough to see how Will still blushed when he saw Nico, and he spent a lot of time staring at Nico throughout their work today too. Usually Nico was the nervous one, but seeing Will fidgety and nervous gave him a boost of confidence he didn’t know he needed. If anything, it spurred Nico on to be as normal as possible, to avoid giving any sign that last night was not okay. In fact, if Will asked Nico about it, Nico would emphasize that it was _more than_ okay, and would Will like to do it again? 

But that would only be if Will brought it up - Nico was feeling more smooth and confident than he had in a long time, but he certainly wasn’t so emboldened that he was going to ask about the hand holding first, and risk all of his observations being false. Nico was human - more than wanting to avoid making Will uncomfortable, Nico didn’t want to embarrass _himself_ by misreading a signal. 

_If it even was a signal?_

A groan from Will broke Nico from his thoughts, and he chuckled when he saw that Will couldn’t get the gumdrops to stick to the roof, each one slipping off and bouncing to the floor. Nico got up to help, and pushed the questions out of his mind.

_The Past - Late September_

_To:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_

 _From:_ _financialdiv@nru.edu_

_Subject: Overdue - Fees_

_Dear Mr. Di Angelo,_

_We have been informed by your advisor that you have not made the expected progress on your thesis as per the stipulations of your scholarship. As such, the committee will have to withdraw their funding, and you owe the university for the fall term. This is our second attempt to contact you by email and by phone; please contact us as soon as possible. Fees are due at the beginning of October, and we would like to resolve this before you also owe late fees on top of your tuition._

_Best,_

_New Rome Financial Division_

_The Present - The Ornament Party_

“I’m so glad you guys made it!” Piper brought Will and Nico into the Mclean house, which was bursting with lights, Christmas decorations, and townspeople. Nico liked reconnecting with Piper. It felt...easy, natural. She came off that way to everyone, really. Nico wasn’t thrilled about joining such a packed party, but he had promised to Piper that he would attend, during one of the many walks they had now taken since his return to Angel River. 

_If only Leo made me promise...that would be easy to break_. _Then again, I’m in too deep with Will’s gingerbread village to bail anyway_. 

Nico had helped Will finish the gingerbread masterpiece, cover and pad it in the bed of Will’s truck, and joined him in heading to the McLean mansion. After several ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ that the guests offered as Nico and Will gingerly arranged the pieces on the main table, they were free to enjoy the party, and Nico had to admit that he really did enjoy it. He hadn’t done many social activities with Will outside of the bakery and the market, but he was far from surprised to discover that Will was exactly the type of person who could be brought to any party. Will was sociable, he appreciated time for grazing on snacks, and he seemed to know how to loop Nico into the conversation with each person they ran into. He even managed to make talking to Percy and Annabeth comfortable; they had run into the couple at the walk up bar, and thanks to Will’s bubbliness and leaning into Nico when a joke was made, Nico felt like it wasn’t so bad - maybe he’d even have a full conversation with Percy or Annabeth one day, all by himself. With Will, many impossible things suddenly seemed...so possible. 

Nico stayed glued to Will’s side that night, even during the ornament game. Some townsfolk only came for the drink and merriment and turned in early, but a large circle of participants were in the gigantic room for the main event - soon the house was filled with the loud noises of people opening up ornaments, swapping them, fighting over even, and stealing them. It had certainly added more vitality and energy for the younger folk to join the exchange - more times than not had Piper screamed at a thief that targeted her, and Leo ranted claims of revenge while Annabeth and Percy had whispered to each other conspiratorially between turns. Nico lucked out when it was his turn; none of the ornaments were ever going to appeal to him, and he opened a new one that was pretty, but basic enough that no one was going to steal it and force him to be in the spotlight more. He did get a kick out of watching Will though, who had stolen and been stolen from so many times that the blonde was spastic with dramatic outbursts and near-maniacle laughter. 

“Score!” Will plopped back down in the seat beside Nico, their knees knocking together. He held an ornament up to Nico’s face, waving it excitedly (Nico could hear Paul Blofis being muffled, likely by Sally, while he was letting out an outburst of annoyed curses). “This was the third steal so I got it _permanently_. How’s that for winning the game?!”

“Will, stop, I can’t see what it is.” Nico laughed in spite of himself, and used both hands to stop Will’s waving one, his fingers clamping onto the blonde’s golden wrists. “God it’s like you’re five years old.”

“Five years old and a _winner_.” Will grinned, and put his other hand on top of Nico’s, briefly, as if he needed to assist in stilling the one clamped down on the prized ornament. Nico saw the heat rush to Will’s cheeks while he felt it growing in his own, and he cleared his throat and actually looked at the ornament in Will’s hands. 

“So it’s...a truck?” Nico looked at the brightly colored object dangling from a gold thread. 

“It’s a _taco truck_ , Nico, geez, do you eat anything interesting?” Will moved his hands to hold the ornament up to his blue eyes, looking absolutely delighted. “It looks just like the one I used to go to in Austin - man, they had the _best_ tacos, you wouldn’t believe -” 

“Okay, okay. I believe you. Congratulations for winning. Although,” Nico lightly elbowed Will’s side, “you can’t _win_ in a white elephant party.” 

“Speak for yourself; your ornament is boring.” Will stuck his tongue out at Nico playfully, but Nico felt thrown off by the flash of pink coming through Will’s lips. 

“T-this is a perfectly fine ornament, thanks Will.” His frown deepened when Will’s shoulders shook with laughter. “What’s so funny, idiot?”

Will suddenly leaned over, his lips dangerously close to Nico’s ears, as he whispered, “That’s one of the ornaments I brought for _us_ to play, you dork. You’re so dense. I just _knew_ you would somehow be dumb enough to pick it.” And just like that, Will was back in his seat at an appropriate distance from Nico. 

Wondering how it was possible for his face to feel _any_ warmer, Nico looked away from Will, and locked eyes with Piper across the room, who was looking at Nico with a _very_ curious expression on her face. Nico swore inwardly, and excused himself to go to the bathroom. 

_The Past - December, the Day of the Solstice Party_

_To:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_

 _From:_ _financialdiv@nru.edu_

_Subject: Overdue - Fees_

_Dear Mr. Di Angelo,_

_We have not received word from you after many attempts to contact you regarding your overdue tuition and fees expenses. Per university policy, we will be closing your student account and you will be dropped from the program by the new year. In a week from now, your student email will no longer work, nor will you be able to access any university privileges or programs._

_The letters we have sent to the address in your student profile, regarding your owed fees, have been returned to sender, and we were informed you no longer live at that address. As a last attempt, we will be sending your bill, along with a notice similar to this one, to the original address you listed when you applied to the university as an undergraduate, which is:_

Asphodel Street, No. 6

County: Angel River

_Please contact us by email or phone immediately._

_  
__Best,_

_New Rome Financial Division_

_The Present - The Ornament Party, Later_

“Your friend stole my chance to get a rise out of Paul this year.” Hades and Seph had drifted over to Nico sometime after the ornament game. The party was still going strong, though Nico was getting tired of Piper trying to corner him in the house to grill him.

“I rather like that boy. Perhaps my best hire yet. Too bad baking isn’t his career choice.” Seph was a charming level of tipsy, wearing a fabulous blue cashmere sweater that seemed to match Hades’ jacket. They made quite an attractive pair; even after being away, Nico had grown accustomed to how eyes would follow his father and stepmother when they were in a room, how they would gravitate towards them in the hopes of having a social “in” with the Di Angelos. 

“Yeah, he’s nice.” Nico shrugged. “I should get back to the other room. Friends waiting.”

Hades nodded and began scanning the room for whomever he wanted to talk to, but Seph pulled Nico into a quick side hug, pinching his cheek affectionately.

“You seem happy, my little bird.” She smiled at him and Nico batted her hands away.

“Ugh, _Seph,_ stop.” Nico used the tone from his angsty teen years, familiar to both him and Seph, but he smiled faintly at her. “I’ve got to go. Don’t keep touching me!” 

Seph swung playfully at Nico as he jumped away, her knowing laughter ringing in his ears even from the next room. What Seph knew, Nico wasn’t sure - but he had lived with his stepmother long enough to know how she sounded when she was told a delightful secret, when she could see something that he and his sisters could not, or refused to. 

_The Past - 2 Days Before the Ornament Party_

_To:_ _hestia@nru.edu_

_From: Mail Delivery Subsystem_

_This message was created automatically by mail delivery software. A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its_ _recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:_ _ndiangelo@nru.edu_ _. Your message is below:_

_\----_

_Nico,_

_I just ran into Jason and he said that you’ve moved back home? Your stepmother did not mention this was the plan, but I hope you are alright._

_Please know there is no pressure to return to the university and complete your thesis, but if you wish to, I’ll happily serve as your advisor again. Just say the word._

_Also - the department told me that the university is having trouble contacting you regarding your fees. I just wanted to give you a heads up that a letter might be coming your way, or, if you haven't seen any, perhaps you should contact the financial office..._

_Best,_

_Hestia_

_The Present - The Bakery, the Morning after the Ornament Party_

_Piper: Maybe he’s waiting for you to make a move? So he knows it’s mutual?_

Will and Nico were in the bakery, putting a chocolate ganache on a cake for someone’s near-Christmas birthday party. It was turning out to be a messy process.

“It’s such a shame to have a birthday so close to Christmas,” Will rambled as he used a special knife to help smooth everything over, the chocolate dripping over the cake and off the sides of the platter it sat on, “It’s like, you lose half the gifts you _could have_ gotten if you just were born a month before or after. People give you one gift and go, ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!’. It’s a downright scam. I hated having my birthday in the summer because I didn’t get to hang with my friends as easily, but at least my presents were properly distributed, you know what I mean?”

“Mhm.” Nico gave an inaudible reply. Nico’s text from Piper was floating around in his brain as he tried to listen to Will chatter away. He had managed to avoid Piper during the ornament party last night, but she texted him so many times when he left that he finally caved to the 37 messages she had sent and threw her a bone. Piper _loved_ Will, and she _loved_ the idea of Nico liking Will, but thankfully, she wasn’t a meddler - after Nico made her swear on their entire friendship that she wouldn’t say anything (and he begrudgingly believed she wouldn’t), he felt some relief in having another person besides Hazel to talk about it with. Hazel was a great sister, and always on Nico’s team, but she didn’t know Will that well, and Piper definitely _did._ Hence why her comment on why Will hadn’t done anything after interlocking his finger with Nico’s a few nights ago was feeling more and more likely that that’s what was going on. Will was still as friendly and seemingly happy to be at Nico’s side than ever, but there was still minimal touching, much to Nico’s frustration and dismay. 

Nico watched as Will babbled on, racking his brain on the stakes of ‘making a move’ or not - on one hand, perhaps it was foolish to try something this early into his time in Angel River, and what if Nico was looking at this all wrong? On the other hand, the sunny boy who was beginning to become the highlight of his days _seemed_ to like Nico back, and why would you hold someone’s fingers if you _didn’t_ like them? If Will wasn’t so _cute_ to watch, maybe Nico could actually think, but it was proving to be impossible. 

“Done! Whew! I hate this frosting - it was way goopier than the last time I made it.” Will wiped his brow and placed a hand thoughtfully across his mouth, thinking out loud. “I guess we should chill it before we try putting it in a box - they’re not picking it up until later anyway.” When he removed his hand, Nico saw a streak of chocolate across his upper lip (hiding the freckle that Nico had come to adore so much). Will got up and carefully walked the cake to the fridge, placing it gently inside, then slammed the door shut victoriously. 

“Man, I can’t _wait_ until all these Christmas orders are _done_. Can no one make their own cakes anymore?” Will sighed as he sat back down at the table next to Nico, grimacing at the mess of chocolate and utensils. “Geez, and we have so much to clean up too! Honestly, I’m grateful for this job, but had I known how crazy it was going to be, I might have -”

“Will.” Nico said softly. Will’s yellow hair whipped around as he gestured, not hearing Nico’s interruption. 

“-you just google and it’s there! A recipe! Anyone can follow a recipe! If I can determine the measurements of IV fluids for an 80 year old patient, someone can _easily_ search the web and make their own damn -”

“Will.”

“-I know I need the money, and I like hanging out with you, but oh my god, if I get another last-minute order like this one I will explode, you know I can’t say no, I _should have_ said no to this one, but-”

“ _Will.”_ Nico shot his arm out before he could think himself out of the action, and grabbed Will’s chin in his hand. Will froze, and he seemed to fully realize that Nico was in front of him, as if he had ranted himself into an unconscious state. _No going back now_ , Nico thought, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“You’ve got chocolate, you dork, right... _there_.” His thumb swiped over Will’s lips, quickly, almost like a parent would do to a child, except there was nothing familial about this move at all, not from Nico. Will’s soft lips under his thumb sent electricity down Nico’s spine, and watching Will’s blue eyes widening in surprise, with a blush dusting across his cheeks, was almost too beautiful for Nico to handle. 

Nico let go as soon as he got the goop of chocolate off. Will stared at him, and Nico stared back. Nico could end it with that, and it would be a _little_ weird that he did that tk Will, but not so weird that he couldn’t play it off as just looking out for his friend.   
_  
But that’s not all I want to communicate, is it?_

Slowly, never once breaking eye contact, Nico lifted his thumb to his own mouth and...he licked the chocolate right off. 

_Did I just do that?_

Will blinked rapidly, as if he couldn’t quite believe it either. Then, he let out a groan, and Nico realized immediately that it was not one of disgust or frustration. Not... _bad_ frustration, at least. 

“Nico…” Will said in a whisper, and he moved towards him, his hands reaching up towards Nico’s face and Nico was _ready,_ god he was ready for this, and -

“Nico!” The shop’s backdoor opened with a bang, and Hazel stepped quickly inside, her face flushed and her hair falling from different spots in her braid. Nico had leapt up when the door opened, as had Will. Seeing Hazel’s look of fear, Nico became concerned in an instant.

“What is it?” He asked quickly, his heart racing. “What’s happened? Are you hurt?”

Hazel shook her head quickly as she was leaning over suddenly, catching her breath. She must have ran here. 

“Someone else? Frank? Seph?” Nico was trying to will the pounding in his brain to quiet, for his heart to stop trying to claw its way out of his chest. In his peripheral vision, he saw Will reach out and put a hand on his shoulder - Nico wondered how much of his internal, growing fear was showing on the outside. 

“Nico, come here.” Hazel, having regained her breath, looked at her brother, wringing her hands, and gestured for him to come closer, after realizing Will was also in the room. Nico took three steps to reach her, and Hazel leaned in to whisper in his ear, “A letter came from NRU. Dad...He went and opened it. He and Seph know. I wanted to find you first so you wouldn’t be caught off guard. I think you should come home with me.”

Nico felt his insides freeze over, and he glanced back at Will, who was looking at him with a deeply worried expression. 

“I’ve...I’ve got to go. Family emergency.” Nico choked out to Will. Sweet Will, who was opening his mouth in protest, reaching to Nico again, but for entirely different reasons than moments before. “I’m sorry, Will.” 

"Nico, wait!" Will cried out, but Nico had already ducked out the door with Hazel, the falling snow covering their footprints as they quickly walked away from the bakery, leaving Will and all of Nico’s possibilities of happiness behind. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me...
> 
> I'd love any of your comments or thoughts! This is a very sweet community of Solangelo lovers, I am honored that you are enjoying the story!


	14. Nico's Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm an IDIOT and mentioned Hestia was Angel River's inn owner but then I forgot and made her Nico's advisor I APOLOGIZE. I changed the inn owner to Circe. My bad my bad. Ignore this and enjoy the next chapter!

_(1:45pm) Will: nico, is everything ok?_

_(1:46pm) Will: do u and hazel need anything?_

_(2:00pm) Will: i hope u and ur family are alright. Please let me know if u need me to come over or get something. i can close early._

_(2:05pm) Will: i know ur probably super busy but im worried about u._

_(3:35pm) Nico: Hi Will. Everything is fine. Just a misunderstanding and it’s sorted out._

_(3:36pm) Nico: I’m sorry for worrying you._

_(3:45pm) Will: can i see u?_

_(4:00pm) Will: nico?_

_(4:01pm) Nico: Yes. But will you do me a favor?_

_(4:03pm) Nico: Please don’t ask me anything about today. I promise everything is fine, but I really don’t want to talk about it._

_(4:04pm) Will: OK. u can tell me when ur ready. Rn i just want to see u._

Will frowned in his cabin, staring at his phone. He didn’t really believe that Nico was fine, but he also wanted to respect his space. Will had never felt such an ache in his chest before; all he could see when he closed his eyes was Nico’s shocked face and building panic. He wondered if Nico had been told about Bianca in a similar way - family members bursting in, speaking words that would forever alter his life. Will hadn’t heard what Hazel whispered in Nico’s ear, but he could tell it wasn’t good. Will also felt a faint defensiveness rise in him when Hazel gestured for Nico to come closer, not thinking Will should hear whatever the issue was. He was Nico’s _friend_ , maybe something more...Will had to stifle the “Whatever you have to say to him you can say to me too” phrase that he felt pushing to get out of his mouth.

_That’s just it, though. Nico’s your friend. Not your boyfriend. Not...yet, at least._

Will sighed, both for Nico and for himself. He couldn’t believe Hazel’s timing, and he also couldn’t believe he was about to pounce on Nico like a cat going for a beloved piece of string. Will was touchy, he knew that, and even though his heart would beat quickly when he would ruffle Nico’s hair or lean into him during conversation, he had only meant it in a friendly way, never anything _truly_ romantic. However, once Will had grabbed for Nico’s fingers at the Solstice Party, he was proposing a new path to Nico, one that was _more_ than friendship. The last thing Will wanted to see was Nico bolt in the complete opposite direction. He figured giving Nico space to make a move himself was proper - whether that move would be in mutuality or in rejection, Will wasn’t sure. 

But then, as if the universe was saying, “Here you go, Will”, Nico had touched him _back_ \- more than once! Grabbing his hands at the ornament party, laughing freely. Tapping Will’s knee with his own. And the _chocolate_ . Will touched his lips softly, where Nico’s thumb had been. Nico’s fingers were cool to the touch, and were incredibly soft compared to Will’s callused ones. He admired them when Nico would come in with a fresh polish on them (always black, typical), and when they were bare, giving Will an opportunity to glance at the oval-shaped fingernails that Nico always kept short, just like Will did. There was so much more Will wanted to know about those fingers, like what they were like to _really hold_ , in a boyfriend-kind of way, and what they would feel like running through Will’s hair, or rubbing soothing circles on his back if Will was sick, or - 

Will shook his head. Delighted as he was that he had come closer than ever before to kissing Nico, to making those touches a _reality_ , he didn’t want Nico to think Will just wanted to satisfy his own physical needs. He imagined when he saw Nico, that the boy wouldn’t be in the best of spirits, and Will was racking his brain on what would cheer Nico up. What could communicate, “I want you to feel better because you’re my friend” and “Also I think I’m falling for you and you might be my soulmate” in a casual, non-pressuring way?

An idea sparked in Will’s mind - it felt a little early, but Christmas Eve would be tomorrow. Perhaps that was good enough timing, though. The more Will considered it, the more it seemed like the best idea. He lifted his phone again and typed quickly: 

_(4:30pm) Will: could u come to the bakery maybe tonight ? after dinnertime? 8?_

_(4:31pm) Nico: Yes. See you then._

With a small smile, Will sprang up, and walked towards Nico’s unfinished-but-nearly-done Christmas gift in the other corner of his home. He had a bit of work to do before 8pm. 

\-----

It hadn’t been a misunderstanding, and it wasn’t really all that fine, but the last thing Nico wanted to do was tell Will about it. He wanted to see Will, so badly, in fact, that it scared him a little, but not enough to stay away. He just hoped that Will would respect his wishes to not discuss what happened today. Then again, Nico wondered if _he_ could respect his own wishes to not dwell on the argument from hours ago, as he was replaying the scene in his head over and over again from the quiet safety of his locked bedroom. 

Hazel, to her credit, didn’t leave Nico’s side once. When they entered the house, there was a sharp, “Nico - come here, please” from their father, in the study, and when Nico hesitated, his sister reached down and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. 

“I won’t let you do this alone, Nico.” Hazel whispered, and for once, Nico didn’t pull away. _Was this ‘growth’?_ Usually he avoided putting Hazel in the middle of his and his fathers’ strained relationship, but this time he wanted Hazel’s warmth, her likeability that Hades’ granted her more overtly than Nico - he wanted to wear Hazel’s protection like armor around his body, and he tried to imagine that that’s exactly what it was, as they both stepped slowly into the study. 

Blessedly, Seph was also in the study, sitting on Hades’ desk, her face cross, but at Hades, it seemed - when Nico and Hazel stepped in, her eyes softened, and she gave Nico a look that seemed to say, _I’m sorry we have to do this_. 

Hades was sitting at his desk, an opened letter containing multiple pages in front of him. Wordlessly, he grabbed the pile of papers and offered them to Nico, his face in a deep scowl. Nico reached out his free hand, willing it not to tremble, and took the papers from his father, holding them up closer so he could read its contents, though he wasn’t _really_ reading - he already knew what it was going to say, and the words he did catch only confirmed his suspicions further. 

_"Overdue fees…incomplete thesis...scholarship revoked...dropped from program…" Yup. Checks out._

Nico looked up at his father, and he felt his fear being slowly coaxed into anger. “You opened _my_ mail?” Nico questioned his father softly, but there was an edge to it that he was all too familiar with using when speaking to his father. 

“It had a ‘final bill notice’ on it, Nico. It seems that they’ve done their best to contact you.” Hades didn’t even have the decency to sound defensive, pointing at the envelope on the desk, cleanly ripped open, a ridiculously expensive letter opener by its side ( _=An old Christmas gift from me and my sisters that Seph actually bought_ , Nico thought, somewhat randomly). Nico could vaguely make out the commanding red letters printed on the envelope, but it didn't make what Hades had _done_ right. 

Nico cleared his throat, unsure of where to start. _Is there any way I can make this, or myself, disappear?_

“I…” Nico hesitated, looking at his father’s angered gaze and Seph’s worried one, “I was going to tell you, eventually. I just - ”

“Oh, you were going to _tell me_ ? When? Because all I’ve heard from you since you’ve come home is how you’re working hard on your thesis, how it’s _‘nearly done’_ !” Hades spat, and Nico couldn’t help flinching. Hazel squeezed his hand while their father continued. “Honestly, Nico, you owe _thousands of dollars_ to this university, and this letter seems to indicate that you’ve all but fallen off the face of the earth! Did you think you could ignore this and it would just go away?” 

“No, I-”

“Did you think _Seph_ and I were going to pay for your mistake?” Hades gestured to his wife, and Seph gave him a sharp look of warning that he ignored. “I don’t understand. You’ve just been working part time and what... _hanging out_ ? Having odd meetings in the backyard on your phone? Watching TV at all hours of the night? Couldn’t you have been working on completing your degree with all that time? This isn’t a _vacation_ , Nico, if that’s what you think -”

“As I recall,” Nico steeled himself as fury and fear danced within the prison of his ribcage, “You said a thesis _wasn’t a real job_. So I don’t see why you’re so upset -”

“-I’m upset because not only have you been toeing the line of an obvious financial legal matter, but you _continue to not finish what you started_ ,” Hades’ voice was rising now, his cold, dark eyes looking practically black, “This is _just_ like high school all over again, you just _give up_ when something becomes _too hard_ -”

“ _Don’t.”_ Nico growled dangerously, and Hazel and Seph were inching closer, but Hades and Nico were like wild lions now, ready to fight to the death. “I _finished_ high school, just not here, not on your terms, and I got into college and have been paying for it _by myself, without you_ -”

“-And yet, you’re not even finishing! They’ve cut you off from the program! You’ve been dropped from your big vendetta against me, against this family,” Hades was standing now, his hands on the desk, leaning forward as spit flew from his mouth, “and what’s worse, you’ve gone and _lied_ about it, and Seph and I had to find out through a _letter_ -”

“-A letter that was _not_ yours to open, by the way. And I had everything under control, I had a plan-”

“-Oh I’m sure you did. Just like when you said you had a plan when I had to pick you up, _from jail_ , and you had the gall to act like the whole event was _my fault_ -”

“-I’m not talking about that with you, Dad-”

“-You’ll talk about whatever I _want_ to talk about!” Hades and Nico were shouting now, their voices reverberating off the walls of the study, “ _As long as you’re living under my roof_ -”

“I didn’t _want to be living under your roof_ -”

“And yet here you are! Because once again, you have _given up_ . That’s what you do, you give up on your work, on your reputation, and you _give up on this family_. You gave up on me, Seph, Hazel, and you basically gave up on Bianca by leaving -” 

Nico gaped, the mention of his sisters’ name spitting from his father’s mouth, and suddenly he felt like he was catapulted back to when he was a teenager. 

“ _That’s_ _enough_.” Seph and Hazel seemed to speak in unison, taking advantage of Nico’s stunned silence. Seph had risen to her feet and was standing in the space between Hades’ desk and Nico, and Hazel had stepped forward, dropping Nico’s hand. 

“Dad, you need to _back off_ . Nico doesn’t owe you any explanation, especially if you’re going to attack him like this.” Hazel’s golden eyes carried a righteous fire to them, so different from the ones that resided in Hades and Nico’s matching ones. “I can’t believe you! Didn’t you learn _anything_ ? We _talked about this_ before Nico even moved back!” 

“You don’t know the whole story, Hades,” Seph had crossed her arms, facing her husband, “And I can’t believe you’d bring up Bianca like this, like a _weapon_ , you know better than -” 

“What do you expect me to do, when it seems my entire family prefers to _leave me in the dark?_ ” Hades hadn’t changed his tone, in fact his temper only seemed to be rising, spewing out to be directed at his wife and daughter now, too, who weren’t backing down. “What’s the big secret that I supposedly can’t handle? Please, recite to me the error of my ways that has made me the _villain_ in this goddamn saga with my son-”

“The very fact that you-”

“You’re so _fucking ridiculous_ , Dad, do you even hear yourself-”

“Don’t you _dare_ talk to me like that-”

As the yelling of his family members began to layer over each other, no one had noticed Nico slip away, walking quickly and mechanically to his room upstairs. Reaching into his closet, Nico grabbed his backpack, pulling out a folder that was stuffed with papers. Clutching it tightly in both hands, Nico walked back downstairs. He stalked back into the study, past Seph and Hazel who were waving their hands in mutual outrage, and tossed the stuffed folder at Hades. It landed on his desk with a dull _smack_ , loud enough to interrupt the screaming, and Hades looked down at the folder with a confused expression.

“Here, Merry Christmas - my thesis, my _unfinished_ thesis,” Nico spat, his mouth feeling like it was spilling broken glass, tears pricking his eyes but refusing to fall, “and my medical records. All here. Go ahead and see why I left. Then we can decide if it’s time for me to leave again.”

Nico turned to his mother and sister, who were reaching for him, but he stepped back from their hands. “Thank you for trying to defend me, but,” he glared at his father, “he’s not worth it. I’m _always_ going to be the one who should have _died_.”

Hades looked like he had been slapped in the face, the blood leaving his cheeks, his eyes wide. Nico couldn’t remember a time he ever left his father speechless, but it was a hollow victory now. He shook his head, feeling disgusted, and turned to leave, his sister and stepmother calling out to him. 

“Nico, wait-”

“Nico, that’s not-”

“I’m going to my room, while it’s still _my_ room,” Nico said flatly, “and I _don’t_ want to see _any_ of you right now.” Head ducked down, Nico quickly exited the study, raced up the stairs, and locked the bedroom door behind him. He crawled into bed, lifted the covers over his head, and shut his eyes tightly while he rode out the shakes his body was making, ignoring the knocks that Seph and Hazel would each make at his door in the hours to come. 

At about 7:45pm, after some texts with Will, Nico finally lifted his head out of the covers - it was long part dark outside, and snow was falling lightly. He hadn’t bothered to turn a light on, so his room was almost pitch black, save for the flashlight from his phone that he turned on. Glancing at his backpack that he had discarded on the floor, Nico began shoving clothes and random things inside of it, anything he could easily find in the dark, being as quiet as possible. There was a faint chorus of voices coming from downstairs, ones that Nico couldn’t make out, but he could identify the voices - Hazel and Seph were downstairs, having a break from trying to convince Nico to come out of his room or at least let them inside. He knew his father would be downstairs as well, given that Hades never journeyed up to the floor his children’s bedrooms were on (not since Bianca died, at least). 

Nico didn’t want to be found. He didn’t want to even be seen. This was why he found himself gingerly stepping onto the trellis outside his window, taking slow steps downwards as the snow whirled around him. 

He hadn’t accounted for the trellis not being able to hold his adult weight, plus a backpack laden with runaway items. He barely had time to think when one of the bars under his boot snapped, and he found himself falling. Though this felt like one of the top unluckiest days of his life, Nico had two strokes of luck in this moment. One, he was not very far from the bottom, so his fall was minimal, and two, there was enough snow to cushion his fall so the only sound he made was a muffled _whomp_ , keeping his family from hearing his escape. 

Crawling to his feet, Nico felt some stinging sensations on his hands - he realized they were scrapes from some of Seph’s rose bushes that were hidden in the piles of snow that broke his fall. Not sensing any major injuries outside of those, Nico adjusted his backpack on his shoulders, and he took off into the night, towards the bakery, letting the cold snow soothe the cuts on his fingers along the way. 

\----

Will had finished disguising Nico’s present when the bakery door opened abruptly, and Nico came inside, bringing the cold wind that had been picking up over the last hour with him (Will was grateful he had been back at the bakery long enough to crank the heat up). 

“Hey, there you are!” Will said brightly as he turned to Nico, who had his head down as he was kicking snow off his boots, hair hiding his face. Looking down as well, Will was startled to see flecks of red hit the floor. “Nico - are you bleeding?”

“I’m fine.” Nico straightened, and Will held back a wince. Nico looked like he had aged since he had seen him earlier that day. With red rimmed eyes and a pale face, Nico looked exhausted and worn. As he was reaching to take off a stuffed backpack from his shoulders, one that Will hadn’t seen before, he revealed the many little cuts on his hands and fingers. 

“You dummy,” Will strode over, grabbing a first aid kit he always kept out in the open, “You’ve got cuts all over yourself! Here, let me -”

“Will.”

“Just sit down and shut up, it’ll only take me a second.” Will had pulled Nico down to a chair with him at one of the work tables, holding one of Nico’s hands firmly, as the raven haired boy was trying to tug it away. “Come on Nico, don’t be ridiculous, just let me help -”

“ _I don’t want you to help_.” Nico hissed, managing to fling his hand away, and folded both tightly under his arms. Will had seen Nico glare and get frustrated, sure, but the severity of it had never been directed at him in this way. Instead of feeling like retreating, a fire of annoyance lit in Will’s chest.

“Either let me bandage you up, or you tell me what happened today.” When Nico opened his mouth to snap back, Will pointed a finger sharply at the angry boy’s face. “I’m not going to let you get away with not telling me what’s up if you’re going to put misplaced anger on _me_.”

“Then maybe I should just _go_.” Nico grumbled, his hands still firmly tucked under his armpits. Will snorted, unable to hold back his annoyed amusement at Nico. 

“You can if you want, but I wanted to see you, remember?” Will held out his hand, so it was hovering just under Nico’s arms. “Please, Nico? I won’t even use the alcohol swab this time.” He used a softer tone now, reminding himself that Nico had clearly had an awful day. 

Slowly, with a not-so-subtle roll of his eyes, Nico stuck his hands out, relenting. “Sorry.” He sighed out the apology, hanging his head so his hair covered his eyes again. Will got to work applying bandages here and there to resist brushing away Nico’s hair so he could see him better. 

“It’s okay. What happened to you anyway? Get in a fight with a rosebush? Or an alley cat?” Will bent his neck down so Nico would be forced to look at his face, his eyebrows raised in mock seriousness. 

“What gave it away?” Nico gave a small smile, but Will noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. He hoped he could change that. 

After a few minutes of silence, Will bandaging and Nico allowing him to, they straightened in their seats and stared at each other. Nico drummed his fingers on his thighs, and suddenly he looked like he felt awkward. “Uh...so.” Nico finally said, looking to Will desperately to reply, even though Will hardly counted that as ‘starting’ a conversation. 

“So. I have your Christmas present with me.” Will decided he might as well dive in to his big attempt at turning Nico’s day around. He smiled as he watched Nico’s eyes open wider in surprise.

“Y-you - a present?” Nico asked softly, his cheeks turning pink. 

“Yup. And I figured you might as well have it two days early. I don’t know if I’d be so lucky to see you on Christmas, and the thing is heavy enough that I don’t want to lug it around twice.” Will stood, and sauntered over to a corner of the room, where he had cleared away boxes and other bits of materials. There was something large he had covered with a red tablecloth, and he had managed to order a comically large white bow that Will was pretty sure was supposed to be put on new cars, but - at least it looked cheery and festive. 

Nico walked slowly over, standing in front of the present. “I...you…” He wrung his hands, then winced, forgetting his cuts. “You got me a present?”

“Well...yeah.” Will said it as if it was an obvious answer, as if his growing feelings for Nico were as obvious as him painting “I LIKE YOU” in big red letters on a billboard. Feeling a bit nervous that maybe this was _too much_ , and Nico was standing a bit _too_ still, Will decided to move things along. 

“Here,” Will said, and he grabbed an end of the tablecloth, “I’ll give you the big reveal...Ta-da!” With a _whoosh_ , the cloth and bow were pulled away, revealing a polished, sturdy desk. 

It wasn’t just any desk - Will had eyed it in an antique store in Angel River and had fallen a bit in love with it. It was an old secretary’s desk, and the top still worked well. Will had spent a little time rubbing oil on the wood, getting scratches out, and it began shining as if it were brand new. 

“It’s a desk! Look,” Will grabbed the handle he had replaced on the hutch, and lifted the top up. On the desk itself, Will had put a little mousepad, wireless mouse, a cup of pens, and a skull planter that held a little airplant. “There’s paper inside the drawer, and the hutch locks - I’ve got the key here.” Will pulled it out of his pocket, waving it in front of Nico, who was still frozen to the same spot. “I know you said it’s hard to write your thesis at home, and, well…” Will blushed now, placing the key on the desk and tapping his fingers together nervously. “I thought maybe, you could work on it here? You’re terrible at decorating anyway, so whenever you have a free moment or if you just want to come here on your own, you could. Or if not you could take the desk home! It’s heavy, but I can help, it’s your gift after all, and - Nico?”

Will halted in his babbling when he saw that Nico had raised his hands to his face. There was a short silence, and Will inhaled, confused at what was happening. Suddenly, Nico’s shoulders started to quietly shake, and he made a pitiful noise that twisted Wills gut. 

“Nico! Hey, are you okay?” Will moved to Nico quickly, and put a hand on his shoulder. Nico was quietly sobbing now, breathing in and out through his fingers, tears springing out as well while Will awkwardly moved his hands around, unsure whether to hold Nico or grab his face or wipe his eyes. “D-do you not like it?” Will grimaced at the question, because it felt like a dumb thing to ask, but he was so thrown off he couldn’t think of what to say anymore. Thankfully, Nico had gathered enough air in his lungs to reply. 

“L-like it? N-n-no, it’s, it’s _very nice_ ,” Nico was moving his fingers across his eyes, which were becoming so puffy that Will imagined it wasn’t the first time the boy had cried today, “I j-just...shit, Will, I’m so _sorry_.” He hiccuped, and seemed to collapse in on himself as his hands covered his face again.

It was too much for Will - he wrapped his arms around Nico entirely, making it the closest they had ever been, even with Will’s many ways he had poked and prodded Nico in the past. He found that he was just tall enough to place his chin on top of Nico’s head, his soft hair tickling Will’s neck. Nico removed his hands from his face and wrapped them around Will’s waist, squeezing him tightly as he continued to cry heavily. Will brought one hand to the back of Nico’s head, giving him slow pets as he whispered little shushes that he hoped were comforting. 

Will wasn’t sure how much time had actually passed - likely only a few minutes, but with Nico fitting so perfectly in his arms, sounding so sad and broken, Will felt like it had been hours. Eventually, Nico’s hiccups and shaking subsided, and now there was just a sniff here and there, or an extra squeeze around Will that he returned with his own hands around Nico’s body. Nico had turned his face so it was buried in Will’s neck, and, eventually, Will felt Nico’s lips moving as he let out a murmured string of words. 

“Hm? What was that?” Will lifted his chin from Nico’s head, to better look at Nico’s tear stained face. Nico, usually so haunted but strong, looked fatigued and shattered, and his eyes were still glassy as he looked up at Will. 

“I...I got dropped from the program.” Nico was whispering. “I c-couldn’t finish my thesis, I lost my scholarship...this all happened before I moved here. I j-just...I g-g-gave up. My dad found out today…” Some fresh tears fell down Nico’s cheek as a look of guilt crossed his face, “T-this is the nicest present anyone h-h-has given me, and I c-c-c-can’t even _use it_ , and I’ve been lying to you and my dad and everyone and I just, I got so _tired_ of _all of it_ , and I didn’t want to _try anymore_ , and, and,” Nico’s lower lip wobbled as he held his eye contact with Will, “I’m _so sorry_ I can’t even _use_ your present, I feel _awful_ , Will.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Will shushed, and lifted his hand to cup Nico’s face, his thumbs stroking away the tears. Nico lifted his hands to grasp Will’s wrists, but he wasn’t pulling them away - in fact, it seemed like his grip was tightening, anchoring Will close. “Oh Nico, I’m sorry. It’s okay. Really.” He gave a little smile to Nico, who looked doubtful of Will’s reassurances. “You don’t have to use it for a thesis - you can use it for anything. Storage, other work, writing me an elaborate thank-you card, maybe?” Nico let out a watery chuckle, which Will counted as a win. “So your dad found out today then? Is that what this is all about?”

“Yeah,” Nico nodded, “and it did _not_ go well. I climbed out the window and fell in some roses.” 

“Ah...” Will said knowingly. _That explains the scrapes_. “So wait...did you...leave? Where were you going to go after this?”

Nico shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Maybe Piper’s? Or the inn…”

“Well, don’t read into this...or uh, maybe _do_ , but...Would you maybe want to stay at my place?” Will let go of Nico’s face, waving his hands. “No funny business, of course, I mean, uh, not that I don’t want to, it’s just...if you wanted to be with me, I mean uh, be _in my house_ with me, I wouldn’t mind.” 

“'No funny business?' Really Will?” Nico was smiling genuinely now, using the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his face. “Pretty sure you were going to kiss me earlier.” 

Will’s jaw dropped open at the directness, but his heart leapt in excitement, especially at the word ‘kiss’ coming from Nico’s smiling mouth. “S-so...does that mean...you’d be okay with that?” 

Nico nodded, but then held his hands up in front of him, almost like a boundary. “Yes but uh, not...not right after I’ve been crying and leaking snot onto you. I-I’d like the mood to be a _little_ different for my first kiss with the guy I have a crush on.”

Had the moment not required that Will stay grounded, he could have sworn that fireworks could explode under his feet and launch him all the way to the moon. His smile stretched over his whole face as he looked at Nico. “Okay - no kissing. But uh…” He scratched the back of his head, “Maybe the mood can call for _cuddling_ the guy you have a huge crush on? You admitting that you like me back is pretty much making my night, and I’ve only got the one bed, so…you’re going to have to let me hug you, at the very least.” 

Nico reached out and pushed Will’s shoulder playfully. “I didn’t say _huge_ crush,” he protested, “but...okay.” And then Nico dropped his arms, took one of Will’s hands in his own, and looked at him seriously. “Take me home?” 

Heart thumping in his chest, Will moved his fingers so they were interlocked with Nico, their palms almost glued together. “No problem.” He said softly, and, picking up Nico’s backpack to sling over his shoulder, he grabbed his keys and pulled Nico outside, where Will’s yellow truck was parked. 

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad I could put this out so quickly after the last chapter's cliffhanger ! Hope you like it :-) More to come. Thanks for comments and kudos!! Y'all are the best.
> 
> Also I know Hazel swearing is a bit OOC for her but let's just say in this AU she can be pushed to that limit - especially if her brother is being attacked ;_;


	15. Will's Cabin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who am I, two chapter updates in one day? Madness. It's like I made the angsty chapter and then I was racing to get to fluff.

_ Nico: Hi Hazel - I’m safe. Staying at a friend’s. I love you. Please don't worry.  _

The staff cabins at Mount Olympus were old, but Piper must have seen to it that they got upgrades since Nico had been gone. As Will flicked the light on upon entry, Nico was taking in the open floor plan, complete with a comfy couch facing a TV, open shelves in the tiny kitchen holding mismatched mugs and plates, various plants in decorative planters, and artwork on the walls. Nico also noticed, with a small thrill in his chest, the ladder that led up to a lofted bed, tucked cozily under the low A-frame ceiling. Will was clearly a good decorator; even though he had been given the smallest of the cabins, it felt cozy, not cramped, and so very... _ Will _ . 

“Let me light a fire, it’s freezing in here.” Will let go of Nico’s hand reluctantly; they hadn’t parted since they left the bakery, Will focusing on driving one-handed as carefully as he could, trying not to steal glances at Nico. At the old-fashioned wood burning stove, Will lit one of the logs he had stored to the side, and then he stood and looked at Nico. “So. Uh. This is home.”

As Will gestured around at nothing in particular, Nico felt butterflies rise in his stomach. Any sense of ‘game’ he may have used on Will back at the bakery was slipping away from him; being in Will’s home suddenly felt  _ very  _ new and...intimate for a man that Nico had yet to kiss. 

_ I...agreed to share a bed with him. Or was I agreeing to just the hug? Oh god. Which was it? What if I get into his bed and he freaks out- _

“Earth to Nico?” Will was closer again, waving one of his large hands in front of Nico’s face. When all Nico could do was blink, and duck his head down in embarrassment, Will chuckled, and ruffled Nico’s hair. “Let’s get you some tea or something.”

“Tea?” Nico wrinkled his nose as Will picked up a beaten up yellow tea kettle, walking it over to the small sink to fill it with water. 

“Yeah. I can even make you a London Fog.” When Nico stared at Will blankly, the blonde shook his head in exasperation. “Didn’t you live in the big city? How do you not know what that is?”

“Um, why would I care when I could just get coffee?” Nico shrugged, frowning as Will plugged in a little contraption that he was now pouring milk into. 

“Okay, snob. Don’t knock it till you try it.” Will was busying himself by pulling things from the shelves and drawers, and waved Nico away. “Why don’t you put your sweats on or something and you can chill on the couch?”

“Sure.” Nico set his backpack down, crouching down to unzip it. As he rooted through the various items, he realized, with a sinking feeling, that he hadn’t grabbed his sweatpants. In fact, he hadn’t seemed to manage to grab anything comfortable  _ at all _ \- in his backpack were a pair of black skinny jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt that Nico now remembered had a big stain from working in the bakery on it, and two tank tops.

_ This is why you don’t pack in the dark _ …”Hey um, Will?” 

“Yes?”

“I...I sort of...could I…” Nico was sputtering now, and Will turned to give him a concerned look. Blushing furiously, Nico groaned and covered his face with a hand. “CouldIborrowsomesweatpants?”

“W-what?” Will blinked. 

“I didn’t pack anything comfy.” Nico picked at one of his nails, and added, as if it was helpful, “Except socks, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“It was dark when I left! Shut up!” Nico felt indignant as Will’s shoulders started to shake with laughter. 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, it’s just...Sure, yeah, my dresser is just over there. Find some things in the bottom drawer and then change in the bathroom, I guess.”

With a ‘hmph’, Nico wandered over to the painted dresser and opened the drawer, trying not to enjoy how much the clothes smelled like Will’s skin. 

\----

While Nico was in the bathroom, Will had put on his own sweatpants and finished the drinks, setting them on a small table in between the couch and TV. Nico finally came out in a pair of Will’s basketball shorts, and Will’s camp-staff sweater, a gray crewneck that said ‘Medical Staff’ on the back, and had a small red cross on the chest. It was too long for Nico; even though he wasn’t terribly shorter than Will, Nico wasn’t as filled out, instead being thin and lean where Will was more thick and sturdy. Will also tended to enjoy his sweaters running larger than his true size, so this was one that Nico was particularly swimming in. Still, Will thought he looked absolutely adorable in the sweater, marveling at how it made Nico’s eyes seem bigger, and how it made his hands cutely hidden under the wrist cuff. Nico also looked like he washed his face and messed with his hair a bit; his eyes were no longer puffy, and he had the disheveled bed-head thing going that Will thought he might go crazy over. 

_ Could I hold Nico’s hand again? I’m not sure. What’s protocol?  _

Nico sat on the couch, but turned so his body was facing Will straight on, his legs crossed. Will silently handed Nico his drink, and the dark eyed boy whispered a  _ Thanks _ that gave Will shivers. He noticed, with some panic, that they both seemed a little unsure of themselves. Nico’s cheeks were pink and he kept glancing away from Will’s gaze, chewing his bottom lip as if concentrating very hard. 

_ I’ve got to lighten the mood somehow,  _ Will’s brain was like his yellow truck when it wouldn’t start right away, puttering weakly in search of an answer. He said the first formulated thought that came to his mind. 

“So, do you use lotion?”

Nico choked on the sip he was taking. “Do I w-what?” He coughed out. 

“I-I meant!” Will felt his face grow hot as he realized he had asked the question out loud. “Your hands! I noticed they’re very soft! Mine aren’t, my mom used to nag me to use lotion but I never did. So I uh, was wondering if you did? Because...yours are so soft?”

_ Smooth, Solace. You’re a real sexy guy.  _

Will dropped his face in his hands and groaned. “I’m sorry,” he said, keeping his eyes shut, “I feel very nervous around you, I think.”

“You’re nervous because of me?” Nico’s tone was surprised, soft. 

“I mean, isn’t that obvious?” Will laughed and put his chin in his hand, looking at Nico bashfully. “It’s like...the mysterious shadow-boy that I’ve been pining after  _ likes me back _ , and now he’s sitting in my living room, wearing my clothes.” 

“Okay first of all,” Nico set his mug back on the table, “You don’t even have a living room. This is basically a log-cabin version of a studio apartment. And second, haven’t you ever considered that maybe you’re also intimidating?”

“Me? No I’m not.”

“Yes you are! You’re always like... _ this _ ,” Nico gestured up and down Will’s frame, looking flustered, “Like all smiley and blonde and tan even though it’s the middle of winter...you’re like... _ sunny _ .”

Will snorted. “I’m  _ sunny? _ ”

Nico crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out. “If you can call me all iterations of death and darkness, I think I can compare you to the sun every now and then.” He stuck his tongue out at Will, and then leaned back into a pillow. “Your place is really nice, by the way.”

“Oh thanks Shadow Boy,” Will chuckled at Nico’s glare, “I like it a lot. Took a bit to unpack and arrange but it really does feel like home. I guess I didn’t come with a lot of stuff, but Angel River is  _ quite _ generous with its new residents. Seph gave me all of these plants after my interview at the bakery.”

“Ha! Where’s my welcome wagon?” Nico stretched out a foot and poked Will’s side. “All I got was a job.”

“Uh, Seph is your stepmom, dummy. Your welcome wagon is living in the nicest mansion ever.” Will rolled his eyes, but froze when he saw Nico’s smile fall at the mention of the di Angelo home. “Shit, I’m sorry, Nico. I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay.” Nico said quickly, and Will didn’t really believe him. “I do feel a bit tired though. Do you think I could...go to bed?”

“Oh! Sure. It would be nice to turn in. I’m beat too.” Will tried to ignore his deflated feeling, and pointed up to the ladder. “My bed’s there.” When Nico just stared at it silently, Will stood, saying “Come on up.”

When Will got to the top of the loft, he couldn’t bear to look behind him to see if Nico was following.  _ What if Nico had been saying yes to a hug and not the bed? I’m going to look like a creep.  _ Will busied himself with arranging a few pillows when the cabin suddenly went very dark, except for the fire still giving off a glow from the woodburner stove. Peering over the edge, Will saw Nico standing at the front door, his hand on the light switch. 

“Uh, figured you’d want the light off down here, but now I can’t see.” Nico was close to mumbling this explanation, which made Will give a quiet sigh in relief. As long as he wasn’t the only nervous one, this might be more doable than he thought. 

“Here.” Rooting around for a moment, Will found the string that lifted the curtains of the window that was just above his bed - it was Will’s favorite thing about the place, because he could lie in bed and say goodnight (and good morning) to the trees just outside. Opening the curtain cast a bluish glow from the moon and the show outside, and Will called out, “Follow the light!” to Nico. He leaned on the bed, trying to find a way to not look odd.  _ Should I sit up? Lay down? No don’t lean on your elbows, that looks seductive, maybe - _

“You...have a  _ lot _ going on up here.” Nico’s head appeared at the edge of the loft, looking up and around. “How many pillows and blankets do you really need?”

“It-it gets cold! And everything in here is white and grey, so it's actually very minimalistic, thank you very much.” Will huffed as Nico crawled to the spot next to him, his heart making such a loud thumping in his chest that he was afraid Nico would hear it and discover just how smitten Will was over him. Instead, Nico just lifted up an old stuffed animal, one of its eyes missing and patches of fur pulled from its tail.

“And this little fella keeps you warm at night in your _minimalistic space_ , hm?”

“Leave Shadow alone!” Will yanked the golden retriever plushie from Nico’s hands, and held it to his chest protectively, like a mother would hold a child. “I live alone. I’m allowed to have a friend up here with me.”

“ _ Shadow? _ ”

“From  _ Homeward Bound _ ? It was my favorite movie growing up...”

“You’ve been giving me the nicknames of a  _ senior golden retriever _ ?”

“OH!” Will’s mind registered the connection, and he placed Shadow safely behind a larger pillow to his left. “I guess I never made the connection.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Nico shoved Will with one arm.

“And you’re mean.” Will shoved Nico back, and then began crawling under the covers. “I’m only calling you Shadow from now on.”

“You better not.” 

“Sorry Shadow, can’t hear you, falling asleep.”

“ _ Fine _ . Goodnight, Will.” Nico turned away and rested his head on a pillow, Will still laying on his side, facing him. There were a few moments of silence, and Will wondered if Nico had actually fallen asleep right then and there, until -

“Hey Will?” 

“Yeah?”

“Could I…” Nico sighed, and turned to face Will, just his head poking out from the fluffy duvet that made Will feel like he was sleeping on a cloud. His pale face glowed from the light outside. “It’s been a rough day. Could I have that hug you mentioned?”

Will didn’t respond with words, but instead scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Nico’s smaller frame. When Nico reached around him as well, Will gave a sigh of pleasure, and they tightened their grip around each other. Will’s nose was buried in Nico’s hair, and he could smell the faint pomegranate scented shampoo he had noticed weeks ago, the first time he got physically close to Nico. Nico shifted his weight, burying his face in Will’s chest. It was like they were trying to climb into each other’s skin, each movement reaching for more proximity and touch. 

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to fall asleep.” Nico mused, a muffled sound from Will’s chest. 

“Me either.” Will laughed lightly as he whispered his reply, and leaned down so his forehead was touching Nico’s. When Nico’s eyes met him in the dimly lit cabin, Will asked, “Do you want to play twenty questions?”

“Maybe. Only if I can go first.” 

“Deal.”

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Why…” Nico reached up a hand, pressing it tentatively to Will’s chest. “Why did you drop out of medical school?”

Will pulled back slightly in surprise. All of their questions had been quite light and surface-y; this was a bold one, especially coming from Nico, who was drumming his fingers lightly on Will’s chest, just over his heart. 

“You tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine?” Nico whispered, and added, “Please, Will?” 

And Nico sounded so hopeful, looked so open and vulnerable in the moonlight, that Will knew he would answer anything, do anything Nico asked of him, as long as he could be the only one to hold Nico, like this for the rest of his life. 

Will took a large inhale, and he placed his hand over Nico’s, squeezing them tighter together. “Deal.” he whispered. He intertwined his legs with Nico’s, crossing their ankles so that they were locked together even more tightly than before. 

And then, he started speaking. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop, they're so cute @_@ Comments welcome! I love them!


	16. Up All Night, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been re-watching a lot of Grey's Anatomy and it shows @_@ Buckle up, it's gonna get real sad before it gets better.

Once the first question was asked, more and more stories spilled out. Neither Nico nor Will slept, not until they were sure the other was done, had said the whole story of how they came to be here, in Angel River, in a small lofted bed, holding each other closely. 

_When Will was six years old, he asked his mother where his father was. Not one to turn down her youngest son, Naomi Solace pulled the small yellow-haired child into her lap, and told him stories. Will had only maintained fuzzy, warm memories of his father, remembering the light that seemed to surround him far more than his face. Will wanted more details. Everyone at school knew who their dad was - his best friend Cecil even had two. She told Will that his father was a doctor, one whom she had met during one of her years on tour. She had developed a sore throat and, being a bit of a hypochondriac, demanded that a doctor see her, even though it was 4 in the morning and most clinics were closed. _

“Your mom is a musician?” Nico interrupted, his hair mussed up on the side he was leaning on. 

Will smiled proudly. “Yes - alternative country. It’s a bit niche. Not like it’s alternative _rock_ , so...I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize my last name.” He poked Nico’s side and was delighted to hear Nico’s soft laughter. 

_Dr. Apollo was the one who answered the call. He was doing a stint in Austin, and had made a couple of celebrity calls already, used to the discretion of coming to homes and tour buses at odd hours. Naomi couldn’t say who fell first; she described it as a spark, a current of electricity that ran between the both of them. When her throat was better, he took her out for dinner. Then she took him out for breakfast, and so on, and so forth. Lee was born first, but Michael came soon after - ‘irish twins’, their mother called them, and they really did seem like twins, both with brown curls and freckles that matched their mother’s. Naomi purchased a home in Austin, and for a while, she and Dr. Apollo lived together raising their sons amidst the bustling community of artists, chefs, and college students. Eight years later, Will surprised them - and Dr. Apollo marveled at the blonde curls on Will’s head, just like his. He told Naomi that Will’s birth was like the sun coming out to play, and they were so very happy that Will was born._

_“But your dad has to travel a lot,” Naomi said, solemnly, “And he got called away to a lot of places, because he was the best doctor they knew to help others. That’s why you haven’t seen him in awhile.”_

_“What kind of doctor is he?” Will asked, as his small chubby fingers played with Naomi’s long blonde curls. He was bored with the romantic parts already, excited to hear what his father did instead._

_“Well...he works with all kinds of people, I suppose. But he always said his favorite part was working in the ER, or places that don’t have a lot of doctors around - he likes to help others when they get in an accident, or break a bone, or get sick. He cares about people and wants to help them feel safe. Just like you.” Naomi squeezed Will a little tighter at that._

_“Just like me?” The thought was puzzling to Will as he tried to absorb all his mother was saying._

_“Yes - you know how you help give your brothers bandages when they get hurt during basketball? Or how you stood up to those girls that were picking on Cecil because his parents looked a little different than theirs? Or when you stay positive even when things seem hard or scary? That’s just what your father would do.” Naomi hugged her son a little too tightly; Will couldn’t see the tears in her eyes, he was busy trying to wriggle away so he could go play and ponder things some more. “You have the best of your dad in you, Will. That’s why I love you so much.”_

_“Maybe...maybe Dad will come back to live with us?” Will had leapt from his mother’s lap, looking up at her hopefully. He heard the sound of Michael and Lee coming through the door, back from school. Naomi was looking at him strangely, but there was only so much a toddler could pick up on._

_“He’s very busy with his work as a doctor, Will. I’m...I’m not sure when he’ll come back. Maybe you could write him a card, though? I bet he’d love that.”_

_When Will’s sticky, crayon-scribbled postcard was replied to on a fancy paper that read, Doctor Apollo, MD, with scribbled smiley faces and lots of questions for Will to answer, that sealed the deal - from then on, Will wanted to be a doctor, so one day, his letters could look just as fancy, and he could help people, just like his dad._

_\-----_

_Nico couldn’t remember what his mother looked like. He never usually said that out loud, but one year, when he was seven years old, he admitted the truth to his big sister Bianca. He was sniffling, wiping tears away as Bianca applied ice to his cheek; she had found Nico on the ground with Mitchell after school, their tiny fists landing wherever they could aim. A boy named Percy Jackson had jumped in the fray, trying to help, and Nico willed himself not to cry in front of the green-eyed boy until he and Bianca were further down the street._

_“H-he, he said...he said I don’t l-l-l-ove Mama anymore b-b-b-because I don’t kn-know what she l-looks like.” Nico sobbed as Bianca cleaned him up._

_“That’s not true, Nico.” Bianca, a few years older, frowned, and put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to remember every single thing about a person to know that you love them, and that they loved you.”_

_Nico’s cries subsided, but he was glum for the rest of the evening. Hades, juggling single-fatherhood and his return to Angel River, had barely noticed, instead chiding Nico for not finishing the green beans the chef had put on his plate._

_It was a half-hour past Nico’s bedtime when he heard his door open, his sister Bianca padding in, lit up by the glow of Nico’s nightlight. In her hand was a weathered black and white photo, of an elegant, dark-haired woman laughing at something out of the camera’s sight._

_“That’s Mama.” Bianca whispered, as Nico held the photo close to his nose, almost going cross-eyed. “I found it in Dad’s closet.” Nico looked at Bianca with wide-eyes - Dad’s room was strictly off-limits, and he wasn’t one to put photos up, at least not in this new, big house he had moved Nico and Bianca into. Nico felt surprised that his big sister would do something so brave for him. He wondered if he would ever be that brave._

_“You can keep it in your closet, maybe. We can trade off,” Bianca explained, as she put the photo away, tucked under one of Nico’s little sweaters, “It’ll be our secret. We can look at her once a week.” She said this with a serious nod, as if she was already making a list of rules in her head on how they would accomplish the task of memorizing Maria di Angelo’s face. When Nico agreed, and then gave a big, sleepy yawn, Bianca smiled, and crawled into Nico’s bed, pulling the covers over them both._

“We looked at the picture every week, and Bianca even managed to snag a few more. I don’t think my Dad ever looked at them, because he never said anything...” Nico wasn’t looking at Will, but he could feel his strong, freckled hand rubbing circles on his back as he spoke, “and, logically speaking, I know what my mother looks like, really well. But every time I hear the word ‘mom’, or close my eyes to picture it, even now, I see Bianca’s face. I don’t think that will ever change.”

\----

_In between his junior and senior year of high school, Will was accepted to the Boston STEM summer program for students who wanted to go on to eventually become doctors, surgeons, and the like. Lee and Michael couldn’t imagine why Will would want to spend a whole summer ‘doing grunt work for a fancy doctor all day’, but Will ignored them. They didn’t understand; they had taken after Naomi, choosing to form a little band and play local gigs in Austin, creating a sort of local-following that they were proud of. Their dad never did end up moving back to Austin, though he wrote Will nearly every month, telling him where he had traveled to and what medical cases were the most challenging, or most exciting. For a bit, Dr. Apollo would send a letter to each of the Solace boys, but Will was the only one who wrote back, and so the ones to his brothers stopped pretty quickly, which they didn’t seem to mind. In fact, Lee and Michael didn’t seem to want to hear much about their father at all. Naomi had sat her three boys down, sometime between her musical tour (which were dwindling as she aged out of popularity), when Will was eight, and Michael and Lee were 16 and 17. She explained that she and their father were no longer together, but they both loved them very much, and if they had any questions, they could always ask her. Lee and Michael just rolled their eyes in disgust, while Will tried to convince himself that nothing was changing, not really. Sure, maybe his dad never answered Will’s questions in his earlier letters about coming to visit, but that was okay, wasn’t it? At least he had a relationship with him at all._

_Dr. Apollo was incredibly proud of Will for getting into the STEM program. ‘It sounds just like the one I did in Chicago!’ he wrote in a postcard to Will, the post stamp all the way from Papa New Guinea. Most of the letters and cards came from a location in New York, but every now and then, Dr. Apollo would write Will from one of his medical expeditions. Will couldn’t believe how many places his father got to travel, saving lives and finding out how the human body worked and could be healed. He couldn’t wait for summer to start, so his career path could lead him there too._

_So, with a duffle bag and a sunny smile, Will kissed his mother goodbye and hopped on the plane to Boston, trying not to worry too much about which doctor he would be paired with as his mentor, telling himself that he’d at least get to have some rotations throughout the week where he would shadow other specialties. It was a teaching hospital after all, so they had to teach him what he wanted to learn, right? _

_Once in Boston, Will discovered he was placed with a pediatrician as his mentor, much to his dismay. His essays all pointed to being called to trauma work, and he was pretty sure that pediatrics was low on his list of choices. He was even so bold as to approach the program director, who informed Will that due to the high volume of admitted applicants, under no circumstances would they ask participating mentors to allow for switching._

_His mentor, Dr. Delos, however, was difficult to dislike. With warm green eyes and a blunt pixie cut, she challenged Will in ways he hadn’t expected to be challenged. He accompanied her on many appointments, and realized he was being empowered to do far more than his peers in other specialties. Most were made to be seen and not heard, hugging the walls while they watched their mentors and nurses work quickly on their patients, but Will was assisting in taking temperatures, checking blood pressure levels and reflexes, summarizing case notes with Dr. Delos and the parents._

_The children were Will’s favorite part. They were funny, they were brave, and they seemed to like him right back. He enjoyed asking them how they were feeling, hearing how a five-year-old described an upset stomach compared to a twelve-year-old. He learned how to ask better questions based on their age. He loved it when he asked if they knew any jokes and they provided silly ones about ghosts, or chickens, or donuts._

_“Still set on trauma?” Dr. Delos asked him towards the end of the program as she looked over charts, Will transcribing her notes to the computer for her. “You’ve got a gift for pediatrics.”_

_Will smiled at his mentor and shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. I still enjoyed it on the other rounds this summer, and I’d really like to give it a try.”_

_“You mentioned your dad was in trauma, yes? In your essay?”_

_Will looked over in confusion. “You read my essay?”_

_“Well of course - it was one of the reasons why I picked you.” Dr. Delos signed a piece of paper, and turned over to a new document._

_“But...I didn’t talk about peds. At all.”_

_““I have a sense for these things. And I only agree to do this program if they let me pick my kid.” She gave Will a warm smile. “You’re very good with the children, and the parents too. They feel safe around you. While I’ve no doubt you can translate those skills to the ER, I’ll admit that I’ll be a little disappointed. It’s been a pleasure to work with you.”_

_Will didn’t reply, trying to brush off Dr. Delos’ praise with his internal narrative. He liked to care for people, and it wasn’t like he only enjoyed caring for kids. He could do trauma. He could be like his dad, whose career was spotty to follow, given that he moved around quite a bit after his stint with Will’s mother in Austin, but each person Will found who had worked with him spoke highly of his efficient, life saving work._

_Pediatrics was nice - but Will had bigger plans._

\-----

_Nico’s first kiss was with Drew Tanaka, when he was in junior high. They had been paired together for a biology assignment, and they were admittedly both terrible at it. Nico didn’t think he really liked Drew all that much; she kept telling him little bits of gossip about the people in their class that he hadn’t asked to hear, and was working to get Nico to admit who he had a crush on, which he was remaining tight-lipped about._

_“What’s the big deal? I’ve liked, like, four boys just this year.” Drew crossed her arms as she blew a piece of hair from her eyes. They were working at her house in the kitchen, their project due the next day. When Nico blushed and looked away, Drew raised her eyebrows. “Are you not telling me because it’s not_ _a girl?”_

_“What? No. S-shut up, Drew. We have to finish this project.” Nico refused to look at her, annoyed when he felt his face flaming a deeper shade of red._

_“How do you even know if you like boys or girls? You’ve never kissed either, right?” When Nico stole a shocked glance at her, Drew shrugged, as if it was obvious that Nico hadn’t been kissed before. Feeling like he was even less cool than he thought he was in the grand scheme of junior high social status, Nico groaned._

_“I could kiss you, if you want.” Nico’s eyes met Drew’s nonchalant ones. “Then maybe you’d know? It’s not a big deal. I’ve kissed both, and that’s how I know I like both.”_

_“Y-you do?” Nico stuttered. He didn’t understand how they got from their model of a human genome to this. Drew Tanaka wasn’t even in the same social circle as Nico, and he was pretty sure she and Piper harbored an ugly, competitive grudge that went beyond the school volleyball team they played on, which meant that, technically speaking, Drew should be Nico’s enemy too. But he had never spoken this plainly before about kissing and sexual preferences with his friends; he couldn’t even imagine breaching the topic without them laughing or misunderstanding._

_“Well yeah. You don’t have to be nervous about it. I know I like gossip but like...I won’t tell anyone.”_

_“O-okay.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Y-y-yeah. Sure.”_

_It was a simple, closed-mouthed kiss, and Drew’s lips were sticky with gloss that tasted like cherries. Nico hadn’t even moved, Drew doing all the work by leaning over to him, seated together at the table. It probably lasted less than a second. When Drew pulled away, she gave Nico a questioning look. “Well?” she asked._

_Nico blinked, and was startled to feel a hollow pang in his chest, his first kiss suddenly gone so soon, and not at all with who he wanted it to be. Nico was realizing that Drew not only lacked the dark hair and green eyes he had come to admire from afar, but she also wasn’t the right gender for him. Nico had his suspicions, but this kiss was like a nail in the coffin. He tried to act nonchalant, keeping his face from pinching in sadness, saying, “It was okay, I guess.” And they continued to work on their project until dinnertime. Drew didn’t ask any more questions about it, and she didn’t offer to kiss Nico again, either._

_When Nico got home, he was silent, and picked at his dinner, which Bianca noticed, as did his new stepmother, Seph, and Hazel. Nico’s family had grown significantly in the past two years. When Hades sat his children down a year ago in his study, as if it were a business meeting he had called them to, and told them that he had begun dating, Nico and Bianca were horrified to learn that it was Seph, the very friendly and cheery part-time gardening instructor from their elementary years (whom Hades revealed was actually his former high-school girlfriend). Being three years older than your new girlfriend probably wasn’t a dramatic age for adults, but for Nico and Bianca, the idea of their senior-year dad dating a sophomore in high school felt gag-worthy. It didn’t help that Seph became an instant and constant warm presence in their life, throwing off the relatively calm and cool balance that Nico and Bianca had learned to grow up in. When she married Hades and officially moved in, Seph didn’t just want them all to just coexist with each other - she wanted them to be a family, and that suddenly meant they had dinner together every night, showing up to Nico’s soccer games with snacks, and attending all of Bianca’s orchestra recitals. Though he was a busy man, would always be a busy man, Hades seemed to honor each of Seph’s wishes, and Bianca and Nico often whispered late into the night how weird it was to have their father’s dark, watchful gaze on all of their activities now. _

_Seph’s presence also meant that, when a letter came for Hades regarding the death of Marie Levesque (a woman he revealed to have had a small, quiet affair with, shortly after the death of Maria di Angelo), revealing a daughter he wasn’t aware had existed, Hazel was moved to Angel River without a second thought, her room already decorated and a series of father-daughter ‘coffee dates’ for Hades to have in the coffeehouse next to Seph’s shop downtown. Despite Nico’s fears that adding a sister to the family in such an odd way would throw off the tight knit connection he had with Bianca, they were both taken with their new half-sister, with her warm golden eyes and her immediate affection towards them. She was clearly sad over her mother, which Bianca could relate to on a deeper level than Nico, and she was a year younger than Nico was, meaning she always let him pick what TV show to watch or what game to play (Hazel really won Nico over when she agreed to play Mythomagic with him, a card game Bianca had refused to play with him years ago, but Nico was still obsessed with)._

“Mythomagic? Really?” Will’s nose wrinkled, and Nico frowned at him to shut him up. 

_Almost overnight, Seph had grown a warm, loving environment in the barren soil of the di Angelo family, and it was only a matter of time before Bianca, Nico, and Hazel let themselves be loved and doted on by her, appreciating the life she breathed into their home, however startling the change. This is how Nico found himself being asked not just by Bianca, but Seph and Hazel too, if he was alright, and if something was bothering him, and was he sure he wasn’t hungry? Nico escaped their caring questions to his room after dinner, but Bianca found him sometime after all the lights went off in the house, crawling into his bed like when they were little._

_“Did something happen today?” She whispered to Nico, reaching for his hand with her long fingers._

_“Drew kissed me.”_

_“What?!”_

_“Bianca, not so loud!”  
_

_“Okay, okay, sorry it’s just...Drew? You know Piper hates her.” It was dark, and Nico didn’t have his nightlight anymore, but he could see Bianca’s semi-grossed out face that he knew she made when it came to people she didn’t like. Bianca was smart, but she didn’t hide her emotions around Nico often. “I didn’t even know you liked her.”_

_“I don’t.” Nico grumbled, and, letting go of Bianca’s hand, he whispered nervously, “Actually...I don’t think I like girls at all, Bianca.”_

_There was a silence hovering over them in Nico’s bedroom, the only sound coming from Bianca’s even breathing, and Nico’s nervous inhales. Finally, Bianca squeezed Nico’s hands, tight enough to cut off his circulation._

_“You know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, right, Nico? That there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you?”_

_Nico hadn’t even realized he was crying, with a mixture of relief and heartache, until Bianca scooped him up her arms and held him tightly, rubbing his back until he managed to fall back asleep._

_During Nico’s first year in high school, he tagged along with Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo to their very first house party. Bianca had prepped Nico well, being a bit older and already a veteran of high school party etiquette. She told Nico about what kind of alcohol mixed well with which chaser, how to properly measure a shot, and never to drink what he didn’t see poured. Despite his preparation, Nico wasn’t sure if he was much of a party-goer, with the music turned up too loud and the mixture of alcoholic smells stinging his nose, but Percy had begged Nico to come along, claiming it was a rite of passage, and Nico had long past the point of saying no to those green eyes._

_It was during the party games that all went south for Nico. His friends, already tipsy, were participating in a round of spin the bottle, one Nico flatly refused to be a part of, watching them from the couch instead. When it was Percy’s time to spin, the empty bottle went round and round a few times, then landed solidly on...Annabeth. In a flash, Percy had both hands on Annabeth’s face, giving her a long, deep kiss, the crowd around them whooping and making loud, long ‘ooohs’ at them. When they broke apart, they were both laughing, but their faces were flushed, and even Nico couldn’t ignore the sparkle he saw in Annabeth’s eyes when she looked at Percy. His stomach twisting, Nico got up off the couch and wandered away, as far away as he could get, until he found an empty bedroom he could hide in._

_After a couple of minutes, there was a light tap on the door, and there was Drew Tanaka in all of her ‘Angel Squad’ glory; her hair was almost always in a high ponytail, her outfit sparkling with sequins and expensive brand logos when she wasn’t in her cheer uniform with her other cronies._

_Nico and Drew hadn’t spoken after turning in their junior high biology project, and while Drew climbed the ranks of popularity, Nico stayed low and out of sight. Except for now, when Drew found Nico crying, on a stranger's bed, not even bothering to hide from her. Drew walked over slowly and sat beside him, and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Nico,” she said, her tone sad, “He’s not worth your time. You know that, right?”_

_People could say whatever they wanted about Drew Tanaka, and Nico’s friends often did. She was obnoxious, image obsessed, she was most likely responsible for slipping orange hair dye in Piper’s shampoo that she kept in her PE locker, and she spilled more secrets than she dished them out. But she never, to anyone, shared about kissing Nico, and being witness to the first stages of his heart breaking over Percy Jackson. And because of that, Nico would never join in on making fun of her._

_\---_

_Nothing prepared Will for the grueling work of being pre-med in college. He found himself longing for a break, yet constantly pushing himself to the limit to write the best essay, to ace one test after the other. It was a strain, but Will also loved learning how the human body ticked, and he had a knack for running through possible scenarios in his head for diagnostics and treatment. Where he really showed his passion was in his writings on patient care and medical ethics. Unfortunately, he found he was working his hardest in trauma, but he tried to not let that get to him. He had found an attending who was willing to let him work in the local ER with lots of supervision, and Will was finding it harder to adjust to than he expected, and he missed being able to have actual time to speak with patients, especially the younger ones, who often looked so scared._

_‘The schooling is a ridiculously hard time, son – but I know you’ll get through it. Also, did I ever tell you I threw up from nerves midway through my first ER shift? You get used to it, but wow, you should have seen this guy’s knee…’ Will’s father would write back to whatever letters Will managed to squeeze out and mail whenever he had a free moment. Those letters and his mom’s constant encouragement over the phone were often the only things keeping him going. Ever the straight-A, overachieving student, Will was on track to graduate his junior year of college, and he had finished applying to all the medical schools, locally and across the country. His classmates called him ‘boy genius’ and ‘Dr. Solace’ already. That was how obviously hard Will worked. He told himself that it was only a matter of time, soon his knowledge would transfer into the skills he needed for trauma work. He just needed to press on._

“I think I just was so exhausted and stressed all the time. Half the time I called my mom, I would cry.” Will sighed, and Nico ran his fingers along Will’s forearm. “I think…I think that’s why, when she told me that her own doctor had discovered something that was bothering her throat, she played it down, and I didn’t really pay attention. Some doctor I would be.” Will remarked with a hollow chuckle, ignoring how Nico frowned at the comment. “Lee finally called me during spring semester telling me how bad it was. I took my finals and skipped graduation and flew home.”

_Advanced esophageal cancer. Stage four. Michael tried to assure Will that even they didn’t know right away, that their mother had a way of hiding her own pains from them, and her touring meant that they didn’t always see what she was dealing with. Will sat by Naomi’s side in the hospital room while she petted his head, wiping his tears away from his cheeks. Will wasn’t ready to lose his mom – who is? He was too crushed to be mad at her for hiding how serious it all was._

_Later, when Naomi was sleeping, Will lifted his head and looked at his two brothers, who were also slumped in uncomfortable chairs in the hospital room. “Do you…” Will whispered to them, and they looked to him with bags under their eyes, “Maybe we should contact Dad. Maybe he can help.”_

_Michael gave Will a blank stare while Lee huffed and crossed his arms. “You can’t be serious, Will.”_

_“Lee,” Will pushed back, something he rarely did with his brother, since he was so much older than Will, “I know you don’t like him, but he’s a good doctor. He probably knows people. Maybe he can – ”_

_“There’s no way Mom would want that, Will.” Michael murmured with a shake of his head._

_“Who cares what Mom would want?!” Will was whisper-shouting now, tears glossing over his eyes as he stood from his seat, gesturing at their mother who had faded away so much already, radiation and cancer taking its toll, “Dad could fix this, I know he can, if we just –”_

_“You’re such an idiot, Will.” Lee had stood up too, and strode out of the room. Indignant, Will stalked after him, Michael in tow, and they ducked into a family meeting room to talk at a normal level._

_“Lee, come on –” Will protested, but Lee was more furious than he expected._

_“Don’t you get it, Will? He wouldn’t come even if we asked.” Lee waved his hands angrily. “Don’t you think Michael and I had tried, tried to ask him to come for birthdays, for Christmas, anything?”_

_Will was stunned. “I-I didn’t – ”_

_“He has another family, Will! That’s why he broke up with Mom. He cheated on her and got the woman pregnant and he chose that family over us!” Lee hissed, and Michael, more of the peacemaker, tried to push Lee away from Will._

_“Y-you’re…that’s a lie.” Will looked down, trying to sift through hundreds of letters he had exchanged with his father. Dr. Apollo never mentioned a family…surely he would mention that to Will, they had written about almost everything. Dr. Apollo knew Will was gay, Will knew about the problematic intern Dr. Apollo had supervised last year, they…they shared things._

_“It’s true, Will.” Michael looked at Will with sad eyes. “It’s…we have a half-sister. Her name is Kayla. We…Dad might even have another illegitimate child with someone from North Carolina, or near there we think, but it’s hard to track because he travels so much…”_

_“Why…but…Mom – ” Will couldn’t find his words; this was all too much to take in, and his brothers had never been one to tease Will, but surely, surely this was all some cruel joke._

_“You were little. Mom asked us not to tell you. She was so crushed by it. And honestly, I think we hoped Dad would have told you in his letters, given how much he wrote you.” Lee looked at the floor bitterly. “Obviously we thought too highly of him.”_

_“I…” Will was starting to panic, and he could feel his breath hitching in his throat. “I, I can’t do this right now. Not here. Not with Mom…not here.” As his brothers relented with quiet nods, Will excused himself from the room, making a beeline for his mother’s room._

“We only got a couple more months with her, and honestly, there were a lot of sweet moments.” Will said softly, noting how his mom lived to see him open his many acceptance letters to medical schools across the country, sharing the joy with him. “My mom left my brothers and I our own letters when she died – in hers, she had apologized for not telling me about my dad’s flaws. She said…she said I had all of his best qualities, and she didn’t want to ruin my relationship with him by telling me his worst ones. I sent the last letter I ever wrote to my dad the day after she died. I called him a coward. I said I never wanted to hear from him again. I-I couldn’t be mad at my mom, I wanted to be but, but she…she was gone, and I d-don’t know how to be mad at her when she’s g-gone.”

“Will.” Nico’s hands were pushing tears away from Will’s eyes, off his freckled cheeks. As Will’s body shook, Nico whispered to him, petting his hair. “It’s okay, it’s okay Will.”

“It’s not,” Will croaked, “I haven’t even told you everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Michael and Lee…they went on tour a couple years later. I was in my first year in medical school, in Chicago. We…we weren’t super close, after that, but they were coming to stop in my town to visit. There was an accident, and, and…” Will pressed a hand to his face. “They _died_. They came to the trauma room I was working in, and they _died_.”

Nico’s hands on Will froze, his dark eyes widening with realization, at just how connected by loss they really were. Will wondered if he was realizing what Will must have felt when he told him about Bianca, in the bakery, so long ago now.

“My dad found out somehow…He came to their funeral. He looks just me. I-I mean...I look just like _him_.” Will’s own eyes widened at the memory. “He held me as I cried and…and I let him. He’s the only family I have left…but…I don’t want it. I-I don’t want _him_ , I don’t want –"

Nico pressed Will to him, and between the hours of 1am and 2:30am, Will cried while all Nico could whisper was, “I’m so sorry, Will. I’m so sorry.”

 _He hadn’t gone back to the ER after Michael and Lee had been there, after Will saw their bodies wheeled away beyond the metal doors he walked through so easily as a volunteer. He was sitting there, with the other family members of those in critical conditions, unable to follow his brothers in, unallowed to help. To heal. To fix._

_Will went catatonic for the rest of the year, and the year after was not much better. He failed quizzes. He forgot to eat. Everyone was so used to Will’s sunny, positive disposition, but Will was too tired to fight it – he had lost his mother at 20, and his brothers at 23, and somehow the world kept moving forward, kept demanding things of him and granting him more years of life. Every birthday was a reminder that his mother and brothers had no more to come. Every letter from his dad that he refused to stop sending, and Will now refused to answer, offered Will a relationship he didn't want anymore. He didn't want to be like his dad. He hated trauma – his whole life was trauma. When he started medical school, his advisor noted to the other students that Will would be the one to watch. Now, his advisor was sitting with him in a dingy, cluttered office, telling Will he had basically failed out. “It’s just not the right time, it doesn’t mean you won’t make a great doctor one day.” His advisor nodded sagely, but Will was already up on his feet, walking out the door without another word._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's TOO LONG and so this is just part one. I bummed myself out writing this but...now you know most of Will's background. More to come in part two! 
> 
> Also I don't think you really get to work in hospitals while in med school but I'm stretching some rules here, obviously, so it fits the timeline. Plus Will is brilliant so he seems like someone who could convince a doctor to let him help out.


	17. Up All Night, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My wrist hurts @_@ Remember when I was like 'here's a fluffy Christmas AU' - who was I!? What is this sad mini NOVEL?
> 
> This includes slight details on death and brain death so if you'd rather not read that, feel free to skip ahead! Take care of yourself. xoxo

“Are you sure you aren’t tired?”

“M’fine, Will.”

“Seriously, Nico, that was a lot, you don’t have to keep going tonight. Or, this morning. What time is it?”

“I’m not tired, just resting my eyes. And I’m not done sharing…”

\----

_Nico wasn’t interested in school traditions like senior ditch days and spirit weeks, but his friends and sisters were different. They were a bit lighter-hearted, a bit more bubbly in contrast with Nico’s sarcasm, and while Nico loved them, sometimes he knew his limits. Which is why he was laying on his bed lazily reading a book, when Bianca burst into his room, ready to once again try to convince Nico to skip school._

_“I think you would have fun!” she whined at Nico, who looked at her over his book with a raised brow._

_“You’re a terrible influence, Bianca. Also, you already did your senior ditch day. Don’t tell me you’re peaking in high school and trying to relive the glory days already.”_

_“Come on Nico, who wouldn’t want your cool big sister to drive you somewhere cool on ditch day? Percy and Annabeth are going! It’ll be fun, I never get to hang with you like when we were both at school.” Bianca was working locally in Angel River, deciding to take a gap year to figure out what she wanted to do next. Due to her odd working hours, it was true that Nico hadn’t seen her as much as he would have liked, but still…Nico hid his grimace. Percy and Annabeth were not dating, not that he knew of, but they definitely seemed closer lately. They were glued to the hip now, and Nico was beginning to resent not having any one-on-one time with either of them (but especially Percy)._

_“This shop is supposed to have so many collectible items – you really want to pass up your chance to complete your Mythomagic doll collection?”_

_Nico glared at his sister. “Uh, not dolls – figurines.” He gestured to his dresser, where small, silver statues of the Mythomagic ‘Greek Gods & Heroes & Monsters’ collection were displayed proudly, no matter how many of Nico’s friends (and sisters) mocked him for it. Ironically, the only one he was missing was Hades. Bianca and her group were going a couple hours away to another town, planning to shop, hike, and eat foods they couldn’t get anywhere in Angel River. The last thing Nico wanted was to feel like a tag-a-long all day with Percy and Annabeth, plus Bianca’s friends (Thalia and Zoë). No matter how tempting their adventure tomorrow was going to be, Nico was willing to put his collection at risk to avoid what he could only imagine would be a painfully annoying day for him. “The answer’s thanks-but-no-thanks, Bianca.” Nico lifted his book back up, and Bianca came over to him._

_“Okay, little brother. But try to do something fun while I’m gone? Your birthday is coming up and you have no plans!”_

_“It’s not for another month.” Nico stated dully. “I’ve got time.”_

_“You can’t do another Lord of the Rings marathon for your birthday. I’ll go insane.”_

_“Sounds like a you-problem, sis. I for one am always glad to return to the land of elves and orcs.” Nico tried to wriggle away when Bianca ruffled his hair. “Watch it, I just put gel in this!”_

_“You’re ridiculous.” She kissed his forehead. “We’re leaving tomorrow, early morning – you and Hazel won’t be up yet. You sleep like the dead anyways. But if you change your mind, I’ll see you at 6am.” She walked out of his room and looked back at him, her hand on the doorknob. “Bye, little brother! I love you! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Bianca always said that to him._

_“You’re not the boss of me!” Nico mimicked her singsong tone, but he smiled. That was what he always said back to Bianca._

_With a grin, Bianca shut the door. Nico didn’t know it, but that would be the last time he saw his sister alive. If he had known his last moment with someone could be something so mundane, so simple as regular sibling-chatter on a Thursday night late in the school year, Nico would have given anything to make that moment more special. He would have given anything for the door for his room to shut, but with Bianca still inside, never to leave for her adventure the next morning._

_At the very least, Nico would have told her he loved her back._

\------

_Will may have been broken-hearted, but he still wanted to live – something about being kicked out of medical school reminded him of this fact. He moved back to Austin, where his mother’s house and assets had already been sold and divided amongst her children, but Lee’s apartment remained. Despite her stints on tour, Naomi only had so much money left behind when her music sold less albums and her medical bills skyrocketed, but Will was lucky to have been given enough to pay off what he had ‘accomplished’ in medical school, and some to use as spending money. Almost like a robot designed to keep his body alive, Will began going on walks, which slowly became runs, which slowly became a way to see his childhood friend Cecil almost daily. Cecil was much faster than Will, but cared about their friendship more than speed, and Will was grateful for the connection. He wasn’t as good about waking up at the same time every day, or wearing anything beyond grubby sweatshirts and shorts, but he ate at least twice a day, sometimes three. It was Cecil’s girlfriend and Will’s eventual friend, Lou Ellen, who inquired about counseling, and Will was reminded that there were also doctors who helped people heal their emotions and spirits, not just their bones and illnesses. Will dialed the number of a few therapists, settling for one with an office filled with sunshine, and an older man with crinkled blue eyes and mild-mannered sweaters. He reminded Will of Santa Claus, if Santa kept a trimmer figure, and had a sense of style and lived locally with a husband and a goldendoodle (Will had seen them around, and his heart almost burst from how cute it was, and how lonely he felt). Will didn’t work through everything during that time in therapy, but Will was not just a straight-A student, but a straight-A patient, it seemed; he came into therapy open and willing to go wherever this kind sweater-ed man could lead him, figuratively speaking. By the time summer drew closer, and the heat began to make the air sticky and humid, Will was journaling sporadically throughout the day, repetitions of the following affirmations he had created with his therapist written over and over again:_

  1. _He was genuinely grateful for all the time he had with his mother, and while he missed her every day, Will had enough medical training to know that there was nothing more that could have been done for her._
  2. _His brothers were eight years older than he was, and they each played a part in their relationships with each other - while Will was allowed to grieve the time that they didn’t have to grow closer, he couldn’t keep guilting himself with the full responsibility of cultivating a relationship with them when they still could._
  3. _He did not owe his father a relationship just because he was Will’s father. Family wasn’t always defined by blood._
  4. _Will didn’t have to work in trauma, he didn’t even have to be a doctor, and he would still be Will. He would still be all the good qualities of himself that his mother and mentors spoke of him._
  5. _It was okay to be mad at the dead (Will still wasn’t feeling great about this one, but writing it down every now and then made him feel a little better)._



_Eventually, a restlessness settled into Will’s bones, and he spent most of his time puttering around Austin absentmindedly, aware that his funds were going to run out near the end of summer. He didn’t quite know what to do, now that his life had been turned inside-out and then some. Every idea he could come up with on how he could proceed with his life, and his career, Will found himself spiraling into anxiety, feeling like one false move would determine the next ten unhappy years of his life. He could try to reapply to medical school, but that just sounded insane. He could go to paramedic school, though that was basically trauma-care on wheels, which Will did not want to do. He could aim for surgery, but that seemed too sterile for him, literally and emotionally. He rambled about all of this and more to his therapist one day, who adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at Will thoughtfully. _

_“Every suggestion you’ve made, I’ve noticed, is medical, and career-based. Is there a reason for this?”_

_Will shrugged. What else was there to think about? He was single, he was basically an orphan, and the apartment he lived in wasn’t even really his. His therapist seemed sad, looking at Will’s furrowed brow, and he posed one more thought before their time was up._

_“Will, take this or leave this - you’ve been so focused on being a doctor since you were a little boy, and that’s been your only driving force. Now, it is also your sore spot, an association with pressure, failure, and burn out. You’re feeling confused, you don’t like the work you were doing, and you’ve had more losses than anyone should have in their lifetime.” The bearded man leaned forward, clasping his hands together as if in prayer, as if he was trying to speak something sacred over Will’s psyche. “Does the next step have to be the same as all the others you’ve made before? Medical school will always be waiting for you, should you want to return; your grades and skills will see to that. I don’t want you to miss all that life can give you, just because you don’t have everything planned out for it yet. During most of our time here it seems you’ve named what you want is rest, healing, and space – do you think you’re planning from that need, or the need to control your situation in a way that looks good on paper?”_

_This tiny speech circled in Will’s brain for the rest of the day, shaking him off his axis, but not in a bad way, at least he didn’t think so. As he scrolled through job postings on his laptop, removing the more-specific search filters as a sort of experiment, Will tried to ponder on what he actually enjoyed in the years he invested in the medical field. He was finding it hard to narrow down to an answer, until a random posting caught his eye:_

_ “Seeking Camp Nurse/Medic (Full-time summer hours; housing provided) – Call if Interested!” _

_Will had never heard of Camp Olympus, though in perusing the website, it looked like a fun place – he would have loved going to a camp like that growing up. And he remembered how much he enjoyed working with children, helping them feel brave during scrapes, broken bones, and shots. Angel River, he saw, was incredibly small, smaller than anywhere he had ever lived, but it seemed…cute, and quaint. Simple. Quiet._

_‘Does the next step have to be the same as all the others you’ve made before?’ Will’s therapist’s question rang in his head. As he clicked the listing, and lifted up his phone to dial the number of a P. Jackson, Will decided that no, no it didn’t have to be the same as before. Because nothing for Will was the same, not anymore. _

_\-----_

_Bianca used to sing a little song about wearing a seatbelt to Nico, when they were small, and much of their time was spent watching educational videos on TV. Nico would laugh and wriggle away while Bianca sang through her own giggles, and once buckled, she would pat Nico’s chest and say, “There, safe and sound!”_

_Bianca had been wearing her seatbelt when she took their friends out for the ditch day, but she was not safe and sound. She was gone._

_Nico had been in the photography darkroom, during his free period, 30 missed calls from Percy and Annabeth combined. He hadn’t noticed, as he usually opted to keep his phone and all its distractions out of his artistic process. It was Seph who found him, stepping into the dim red light, looking disheveled, mascara staining her eyes._

_“Nico,” she croaked, wringing her hands, “There’s…you need to come with me. There’s been an accident.”_

_In hindsight, Nico knew Seph was telling him all the details in that tiny darkroom, the car that came out of nowhere, the hospital Bianca was at. That Bianca’s body was at. All Nico could think, as the roaring grew louder in his ears, was, ‘What is Seph doing at my high school?’ When he asked the question out loud, interrupting his stepmother’s speech, she looked at him with wide eyes. Nico stared back, his vision becoming blurry as he asked her again. “What are you doing here?”, then, “Where is my sister? Where’s Bianca?”, over and over again until Seph closed the gap between them and hugged him tightly._

_Bianca looked so much smaller in the hospital bed, with far too many tubes sticking out of her. Aside from a few cuts, a bandaged head, and splashes of blood on her torn clothes, she looked like she was merely sleeping. Hazel was standing at the edge of the bed, holding Bianca’s feet, as if she were trying to warm them, tears streaking her face. Nico sat by Bianca’s side, holding her cold, limp hand in his, the dull heart monitor giving a confusing, repetitive beep. How could they say she was dead, if her heart was beating? Where was Bianca’s hat that she always wore on her road trips? Why was her chest rising and falling if she was gone? Nico had so many questions, but all of his words had died inside of him._

_Until he overheard the physician speaking with his father and stepmother, just a few feet away._

_“Mr. Di Angelo, your daughter did register as an organ donor. We know this is an incredibly difficult thing to consider, but as I said earlier, the best possible opportunity for donation is time-sensitive.”_

_“You want to take her organs?” Nico’s throat felt like it had been raked over with hot coals. “Her heart is still beating. She’s breathing. Can’t she wake up?”_

_The doctor looked at Nico sadly. She had butterflies on her scrub cap. Nico didn’t know why that was the only thing he remembered about her. “I know that this is hard to understand,” she said, slowly, gesturing towards Bianca, “But she is not in a coma, Nico. The ventilator and intravenous medication is artificial support, but this is brain death – Bianca can’t hear or comprehend things anymore, and our tests show that this is…permanent.” She looked away when Hades, who was staring at the ground, winced. “I am happy to show you the charts again to explain further - ”_

_“You don’t need to explain anything!” Nico’s hands went across Bianca’s body; if the bed could fit him he would crawl in there with her, just like when they were little. “You can’t have her! She-she…Dad, Mom, please.” He looked desperately at his parents, but they looked like broken shells of themselves. Not even calling Seph ‘mom’, which Nico had only done one other time in his life, seemed to break her from her stillness. _

_“It can wait a bit, and it’s late,” the doctor raised her hands, and gestured down the hall, “I understand that you’re from Angel River, which is a bit of a drive from here. Maybe you could speak with our social worker about the patient-family rooms we have at a hotel nearby? You all should try to get some sleep.”_

_Nico and Hazel were difficult to budge from Bianca’s side; it was hard for them to keep their hands off of her, as if she would disappear if they let go. Seph came up behind Hazel, putting both hands on her shoulders, and slowly pulled her into an embrace, leading her away from the bed. Nico felt his father’s hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at Hades, both of them mirror images of shattered heartbreak. “Dad…” Nico protested weakly, and his father gave his shoulder a squeeze._

_“I’ll stay with her, Nico.” It was calm, reassuring, even though Hades’ eyes gave away the churning emotions inside. “Go with your mother and Hazel.”_

_It barely made Nico feel better, but it got him to release Bianca’s hand, to wander to the hotel with Seph and Hazel, to lie down in a bed with scratchy sheets and sad paintings of flowers on the wall above it. Hades called Seph ahead of time, to call them back, having given the okay for organ donation. “It’s what she would want,” Hades said, now on speakerphone so he could explain to Seph and his children, “She…Bianca would want to live on, by giving life to so many others. I think that we should honor her wishes about this.”_

_Nico didn’t know if he agreed, but he didn’t protest. However, when they arrived at the hospital, and they had already wheeled Bianca’s body away to the surgical floor, Nico fell to his knees in horror. When Hades appeared at his side, Nico glared up at him. “How could you let them take her?” he cried angrily, and his father only gave him a stoic silence, as Nico became laden with guilt that he couldn’t hold Bianca’s hand one more time before she was gone._

_\----_

_“So, this is it!” Percy Jackson stepped into the little studio cabin that was now Will’s home, and he grimaced at the clutter and dust. “Sorry it’s not ready. We don’t usually…well, we’re glad you’re here, but this is a little unusual, having the nurse live on site year-round.”_

_“It’s no problem,” Will gave his new employer a smile, “I like projects, and I’m glad you guys were okay with me coming so early. Like, a year early.”_

_Percy chuckled. “Well, don’t be too excited yet. Angel River does not get a lot of new people, so you’re going to be bombarded with baked goods and jams and dinner invites. Speaking of…” Percy put a hand on his hip, and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “You probably need to eat. Annabeth and I always go to my mom’s for dinner on Thursdays – would you like to join?”_

_Will was surprised; he was Texan, but he wasn’t as used to small-town hospitality as he thought. He hadn’t been in Angel River for more than an hour and already he had dinner plans? If his therapist could see him now…_

_“Uh, sure! You don’t think your mom will mind?”_

_“Nah, she has a thing for strays. She’ll love you like a son.” Percy grinned, and Will ignored the little pain in his heart at ‘son’.  
_

_A few hours later, in the warm lighting of Sally Jackson’s living room, Will sat down to share a meal with the friendly blended family. Then, Will realized he hadn’t sat at a table with a family, a whole family, in years. He surprised everyone, himself included, by promptly bursting into tears after Paul Blofis finished saying grace. After that night, Will was unofficially declared, by Sally and the others, as the new adopted member of the Jackson-Blofis family. He went to (or was coerced to) dinner at Sally’s, or Percy and Annabeth’s, every night for the next five weeks._

_\-----_

_Planning funerals were known to bring conflict in even the best of families. Some things were easier to decide; Nico had a photo of Bianca that was deemed perfect for the memorial materials, and Hazel had managed to write a lovely tribute to Bianca in the local newspaper. It was agreed by all that Bianca would be cremated._

_What was proving difficult, for Nico and Hades, at least, was what to actually do with the ashes. Seph and Hazel watched tiredly as Nico and his father went back and forth in sharp tones, all of them gathered around a table littered with various documents. This was easily the sixth or seventh time the argument had come up, and neither side budged._

_“She wouldn’t want to be buried in a cemetery, Dad.”_

_“It’s the family plot. It’s where your mother is buried. It’s where I will be buried when I die –”_

_“Bianca hated that cemetery, she always thought it was creepy, she didn’t want to be buried in the ground like that –”_

_“I’m not having this argument with you again.”_

_“Can’t you at least give me some of Bianca’s ashes? So she’s not just underground? I know her favorite places here, I could spread some and no one would know at the funeral – ”_

_Hades stood up, and slammed his fists on the table. “You are being a petulant child about this, and that’s what you are – a child. My child. And so was Bianca, so I will bury my daughter as I see fit to. Do you notice Hazel is not making the same demands? You should know better, Nico – you don’t get to act like you have more of a right to Bianca than we all do.” _

_Nico raced to his room and slammed the door after that, tears leaking from his eyes. He pulled his phone out and dialed the first person he could think of, one of the people who had survived the car crash instead of Bianca._

_“Nico? Is everything alright?” Percy’s voice was concerned and quick._

_“No. I need your help, Percy. Promise you’ll help me?”_

_“Yes, of course. Tell me what’s wrong.”_

_Percy was just as attentive and concerned as he was when he and Annabeth found Nico at the hospital, their bodies bruised and bloody, but whole. They had so much to say, about the car that came from nowhere, how it took forever for the paramedics to arrive, but Nico barely heard them, just holding them closely. Before they left with their own parents, Percy handed Nico something, and Nico stared at it, confused at why a Hades Mythomagic figurine was staring back up at him._

_“She found it at the shop we went to. You should have seen it, Nico, she, she haggled for the price and everything. She said it was going to be your birthday present.” Percy looked down, his tears making odd streaks on his face where they washed away the grime and blood that covered him. “I-I’m so sorry, Nico. This is all my fault.”_

_Nico was silent, but shook his head. Percy put both hands on Nico’s shoulders, and crouched down to meet Nico’s eyes. “Anything you need, I’m here for you. You know that right? You’re my best friend. I promise I will be there for you.”_

_As Percy left, Nico felt a strange stirring in his body, seeing the boy he had pined after all these years moving, breathing, and walking. Living._

_The stirring felt like hatred._

_\----_

_“I suppose I’m curious why a camp medic needs a baking and delivery job?” The beautiful owner of the plant and bakery shop was looking at Will with a confused expression, holding his resume in her neatly manicured hands (though Will noticed they had remnants of potting soil on them). She had an office in the back that she had led Will into, looking at him over her desk as he shifted in his seat._

_Will shrugged. He probably shouldn’t have included all that schooling and internships on his resume, but that was kind of all he had really achieved up to this point. What else was he going to put?_

_“I know it’s a little…random, but…I’m very good at following instructions, and recipes, and I’m a self-starter.” Will tried to look confident under Seph’s gaze. “I know you said Christmas gets crazy, and I know I can handle it. I’ve worked in an ER for a couple years, so I don’t think anything is going to be too much for me.” That last bit felt like a lie through Will’s teeth, but Seph didn’t need to know that, and Will needed the cash._

_There was a moment of silence, and then Seph chirped, “Alright!”, and she reached down behind her desk, and pulled out an orange shirt. “Thankfully, I think the uniform is your color.” With a wink, she handed him a packet outlining details of the bakery and its contents, and confirmed with Will when he could come in for work. After about a month, Will had the mechanics of the order schedule and the layout down – it was like working in a clinic, only with butter, sugar, and ovens. So he told himself. Seph came to check on him frequently, praising him for his quick learning._

_“I’ll see if I can’t get you some help back here, when December comes. It really does get a bit hairy with the tourists and the last minute orders.” Seph gave a little eye roll as if Will knew what she was talking about._

_With a smile, Will said, “Sure. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind the company.”_

_\----_

_The plan was straightforward, at least to Nico, it was. Bianca’s ashes were being held at the funeral home, where the ceremony would take place on a Sunday. In the dead of night, Nico and Percy would break in the night before, and swap Bianca’s ashes for ones that Nico had gathered from the fireplace. Though it seemed morbid, it seemed like the right thing to do – he couldn’t have his sister in the ground, never to be a part of the sunshine, the woods, the sky. If his father wouldn’t reason with him, then Nico could just take matters into his own hands._

_Until Percy called him, on Saturday, before dinnertime, to bail._

_“I don’t feel good about this, Nico.”_

_“Percy, seriously? You promised.”_  
  
“Can’t you talk to your dad again? Or maybe, I don’t know, maybe it’s not such a big deal, it is where your mom is, after all –” 

_“Where are you right now?”_

_“What? I’m at home.”_

_“I hear Annabeth. And Piper. Where are you really?”_

_“Nico, let’s not do this – ”_

_“Do what? Talk about how you’re not going to help me? Like you promised to? Where the fuck even are you?”_

_“God, Nico, I’m going to prom, okay? I’m going to prom.”_

_“…You’re bailing on me to go to prom.”_

_“Nico, no. I’m bailing on this because it’s wrong, we could get arrested, or hurt your family, even Annabeth said –”_

_“You told Annabeth.”_

_“Well…yeah, we’re all friends, Nico, and I’m worried about you, this is a bad idea.”_

_“No, this friendship is a bad idea. Fuck you, Percy.” And Nico hung up the phone. _

“Well…you know what happened after that.” Nico heard Will hum in confirmation, which Nico was grateful for. Reliving this night was hard enough, but having to go into detail about the ugly things he and Percy said to each other in the school parking lot…that all sucked. Especially when his crush on Percy was thrown out in the open like a piece of trash on a highway, by the green-eyed boy Nico had once loved.

_“You are the worst friend, Percy, I can’t believe I trusted you to do this for me and now here you are playing high school sweethearts like Bianca didn’t just fucking die – ”_

_“Nico! God! You are so out of line – and you can’t get mad at me for not doing something illegal for you! I don’t care how in love with me you are, I’m not your boyfriend and you can’t tell me what to do – ”_

Nico grimaced, remembering how his fist ached after connecting with Percy’s nose, how it looked to see his friends’ horrified faces, the tears in Annabeth’s eyes. How the tires screeched when he pulled away in the car he swiped the keys from Seph’s purse for, determined to finish what he had set out to do.

_Hades bailed Nico out, and drove him back from the jail. Nico, in his grief and fury, had not considered that the funeral home would have state-of-the-art security locking it’s doors, much more advanced than a clever high schooler could figure out. Nico chose this spot of defeat to partake in the bottle of vodka he had brought with him, intended as a victory drink for him and Percy when they had done the swap (and Bianca had told Nico years ago, when she gave him instructions on how to party, that it was her favorite poison). Instead of any celebration, Nico had the cops called on him as he drunkenly raged, throwing the bottle and its remnants against the funeral home with a smash._

_It was nearly midnight when they returned home. Nico reached to open his door, but Hades quickly pressed a button, locking them in. Nico didn’t have to look at him to know that this would be the biggest fight of his life with his Dad, which he felt was saying something. But Nico was angry, beyond angry, and the fight in him wasn’t going away even in the face of Hades di Angelo._

_Nico couldn’t remember who started yelling first, the vodka and sadness hazing his memory. He did remember the most important part, the part that made Nico run away that very night._

_“You can forget college, Nico. I’m not paying for it. Not if you’re going to throw your life away by being idiotic.”_

_“Dad, you said we would get that money when we turn 18, you promised –”_

_“I DON’T CARE WHAT I PROMISED!” Hades roared, shaking the steering wheel angrily, perhaps in the place of hitting Nico. Nico wished his father would try. He was ready to punch things again. “You don’t deserve it, not after all of the hellish things you’ve been doing, forcing me to clean up after you!”_

_“I hate you.” Nico spat. “I’ve always hated you. You didn’t know me and Bianca at all. You don’t know what she would have wanted. You’re an awful father and you know it.”_

_Hades cackled, almost madly. “Well guess what, Nico? Right now, this moment, I hate you too. I hate how angry you are, I hate how embarrassed you made me tonight, and I hate that you’re the one in the car with me right now, and not – ”_

_Hades caught himself, but just a word little too late. Nico felt like Hades had actually hit him, and he didn’t need his father to complete his sentence to know what he was saying._

_‘ Not Bianca’._

_ ‘The one who shouldn’t have died.’ _

_Nico unlocked the door, and wordlessly got out of the car. Hades was staring straight ahead, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel, his jaw open. Nico left for the city within four hours. It was the last time he would see his father in seven long years._

_He missed the funeral. He spoke with the university he got accepted to about scholarship options. He blocked or ignored calls on his phone. When his family sent Nico his things, he arranged a P.O. box for all of his belongings that Hades hadn’t thrown out. He made his own friends, Jason and Reyna, in the dorms. He became obsessed with his studies, pursuing an MA in sociology immediately after his undergraduate studies were completed, the topic of death and dying as his thesis. It was perfect – he could ruminate on death, live in the darkness of it, by proclaiming himself a scholar of it. He made it so he could always live in the land of the dying, to avoid real connection in the life of the living. He made his own money – not a lot, but his. And though he felt freer than he had ever been, in many ways he was still very sick, very broken, from his last night in Angel River. Bianca often appeared to him in dreams, tubes coming from her mouth, and Nico could never hear what she was trying to say. Hazel eventually found her way back to him, visiting Nico a bit, but always at a public location, always somewhere Nico knew she wouldn’t track him back to his apartment. He spoke with Seph on the phone, finally, after three years away. She learned very quickly that he would hang up any time she asked him something too close to the topic of his new home, or his father. Their conversations were light, simple, detail-less._

_It was actually quite a_ _rough way to live, but it was doable, normal, so he told himself. This was simply life ‘after Bianca’, and it was far more gray and sad than the before. But Nico was tired. His thesis was bringing up layers of grief he thought he had simply been done with, that he had aged out of. His advisor began doing what an advisor does best; she picked apart Nico’s writings with inquiries and challenges, all in red ink, and they all barraged at Nico right down to his soul._

_“You’ve written well on the culture surrounding death and loss, but not what comes after,” Dr. Hestia would say in meetings, and her written comments, “What does moving on look like? Is healing included for those who are left behind? Is there beauty or relief in death as much as pain? And you don’t have a chapter on how this connects to you personally, I’d like that too, if you can.”_

_She had no way of knowing – Nico hadn’t told her. Jason and Reyna knew, but Nico only told them once about Bianca, when they had promised that they wouldn’t ask him about it again. Holding people at an arm’s length was becoming Nico’s specialty; his thesis was beginning to show the cracks in what he thought was a perfect system of disassociation. Healing? Moving on? What the fuck did that mean when your special, most important person, was gone? Bianca was supposed to always be there to hold his hand – not dead, cold and lifeless during the most horrible moment of his life._

_He avoided his advisor. He avoided his friends. He stopped checking his email, choosing to sit out on the small fire escape of his apartment, in the rain, staring off into the distance._

_And then Nico had gotten sick. The flu, only it the worst one he had ever had. Fluid built up in his lungs. He felt too weak to leave bed. He didn’t eat or drink for two days. Even though Nico had people he could call, even though his body ached and his fever wouldn’t break, something in him refused to ask for help. What was the point? He was so tired. He was past the age Bianca had died at, every year just another reminder of how little life she had really had, and what a shitty one Nico was having when she left him behind. He wanted to stop. He wanted to disappear, to sleep forever. His fevered state made him say this all out loud, to Jason and Reyna when they found Nico, dehydrated and nearly unconscious on his floor. He told the paramedics to let him go, that he wasn’t worth their time. He must have said things to Seph, too, when she eventually arrived to Nico’s side._

_He didn’t think he really wanted to die. But he did need things to stop. Just for a little while. Just so he could recalibrate, and figure out how to tackle his thesis without falling into a million pieces when his fingers hovered over the keyboard. He just wanted to rest for a while. He just wanted his sister back._

He knew what the files he had thrown at Hades earlier that night would show. The flu, the infection, but also the psych consult’s notes, using terms that felt foreign to Nico, yet they were the reasons for his therapy, his meds, his move back to Angel River.

\-----

It was 4am when Nico and Will had both finished talking, their throats raspy, their eyes weary from lack of sleep and intermittent crying. With a small, whispered reminder from Will that the bakery was closed on Christmas Eve, Nico finally let his eyes close, finally let sleep take over.

In a strange, exhausting way, it was the best night of sleep either of them had since they could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it! I promise there is much good and fluff to come. Leave it to Will and Nico to get everything out in the open in one night. Let's call it an opening of the mental health floodgates. 
> 
> THANKS for all your comments, they really do make my day and they make me want to keep writing this story! You're great, invested readers <3


	18. Closure Confirms What We've Always Known

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys I should have a week off from work more often. Look at me go. Consider this chapter a New Year's gift for sifting through the sad chapters so far.

When Nico woke, his first sensation was how soft everything was. His feelings for Will aside, this might have been the coziest bed he had ever been in. Will had flannel sheets, a comforter that was ridiculously thick and fluffy, and pillows that Nico suspected were well above his usual budget of twenty dollars. He never wanted to leave this bed, in fact, he was a little annoyed that he had woken up at all. He looked at a little digital clock that was balancing on a tiny nightstand, stuffed in the corner by Will’s bed – 7:00am. _Far_ too early to wake up when Nico and Will’s bedtime had been at 4:00am.

When he exhaled, however, and saw his breath come out in a little clouds, he realized just how freezing the cabin was. Some of the blankets had fallen from Nico’s upper body, and even with Will’s sweatshirt, Nico shivered, and then felt something move against him.

“Mmph.” Will’s face was burrowed in Nico’s chest, his arms wrapped around Nico’s torso. All Nico could see was the halo of blonde, shaggy hair that Nico noticed grew in little curls at the ends. Though it was cute, Nico found that he couldn’t move very well to pull the covers back over himself. He had already attempted to reach down two different times, when Will’s arms tightened around Nico, rooting him to the spot.

“Stop moving.” Will grunted out, his face not moving from Nico’s chest, so it sounded more like “Stuhp mhuveng.”

“Will,” Nico hissed, wiggling more, “Will – it’s _freezing_ in here.” When Will continued to mumble incoherently, Nico rolled his eyes, and used his hands on Will’s shoulders to push him away. “What was that?”

Will groaned, his eyes closed tightly. “You need to add more firewood.”

“Uh…”

“You do it. Need sleep. So tired.” Will mumbled, and then turned to his back was facing Nico, pulling the covers up effortlessly up and over his head. “Bring another blanket when you come back.”

Nico stared at Will incredulously, and then scoffed when the blonde’s breathing became even, slow with the haze of falling back asleep. Shaking his head, Nico crawled out of the bed, wincing when he felt the cold wood floor on the bottom level of the cabin. He groaned when he saw the basket Will had pulled logs from for the fire was empty.

“Will,” Nico used his normal volume to call up to the loft, “You’re out of firewood.”

“Mmmph.” Will sounded annoyed. It would be cute if Nico wasn’t trying to lift his feet in a weird sort of dance to keep them from freezing to the floor.

“ _Will._ ” Nico half-shouted, and squeaked in surprise when a pillow soared from the loft and connected with Nico’s face.

“ _Check outside_ ,” Will hissed, “ _and stop talking to me_.”

Grumbling, Nico found some boots and a heavy jacket of Will’s by the door to put on, and he trudged outside. He would have to tease Will for what a monster he became when he was being woken up, but the need to be warmer was winning out.

The camp looked different in the snow, the world outside a sparkling blanket of white as far as Nico could see. The air was freezing out, and it had stopped snowing; breathing in the pure chill felt like filling Nico’s stomach with ice water. The lake was in his sight, where Nico had spent so many summers swimming and canoeing, even supervising campers when he spent one summer as a counselor himself (he wasn’t sure if he was amazing at it, but it was worth spending time with Percy, Annabeth, Piper & Leo, who had multiple summers on staff under their belt now). The staff cabins were a bit removed from the rest of the camp, but Nico could see the roof of the main big house, and the awnings of the dining commons through the trees.

Peeking around, Nico didn’t see a pile of firewood on the small deck, though he wasn’t actually sure what to expect – he was unfamiliar with cabin living and old stoves to keep a house warm, admittedly more used to high-tech fireplaces that clicked into flames with the turn of a switch (one of Seph’s favorite additions to the di Angelo household, as she got cold easily). He vaguely wondered where else the wood was kept, and he shuffled over to peek around the edge of Will’s cabin, and –

“Nico?”

Nico’s head whipped up in alarm, and he locked eyes with Percy Jackson, who was looking at Nico with equal surprise. Percy was far more bundled than Nico was, in a thick jacket and green-knit sweater, his black hair peeking out of an orange-striped beanie that had “Camp Olympus” stitched on it ( _Piper really upped the camp merchandise,_ Nico thought, surprised that he actually was admiring the beanie, usually not one for color).

“Uh, hi Percy.” Nico’s mouth felt like it was full of cotton. “What are you doing here?”

Percy blinked at him. “Um, I live here?” He pointed a gloved finger towards the other cabin, the one he now lived in with Annabeth. _Right_. In all the commotion of yesterday, and driving to Will’s home in the darkness, it had slipped Nico’s mind that Will and Percy were _neighbors_. “I’m taking Mrs. O’Leary out.” Percy looked down towards the lake, and when Nico followed the direction of his gaze, he saw the black dog, much bigger than when he last saw her, bounding joyfully in the snow, unaware of hers and Percy’s new company in the woods.

“Are…Are you…Did you and Will…?” Percy didn’t finish his question, but was looking at Nico, then at Will’s cabin, then back to Nico.

Nico didn’t have to worry about the heat anymore; he could feel the blush covering his entire body at the sight of Percy’s raised eyebrows. “Nothing happened!” He said quickly, and he watched as Percy slowly pointed to Nico’s sweatshirt, peeking out from the jacket he had donned to go outside. Nico looked down – he forgot he was wearing Will’s staff sweatshirt. _Crap_. “I, uh, it’s not what it looks like. I was cold and didn’t pack…pajamas.”

“Uh, okay.” Percy’s eyebrows were still up, nearly hiding under the knit cap, but he was giving Nico an amused smile. “For what it’s worth…I like it.”

“What?”

“Will and you. I like Will for you.” Percy looked down, and scratched the back of his head. “That is, um, if _you_ like Will for you…then I’m all for it.” He looked at Nico, his green eyes sad and his smile gone. “Not that my opinion means much though, I know.”

“Percy…” Nico’s mouth twisted in a thin line, as he tried to think of what to say. Something about reliving some of his worst memories in the safety of Will’s presence last night, despite the horrible row he had with his father before, was giving Nico a sense of…lightness. There was still an ache when he looked at his former friend, but somehow…somehow Percy didn’t seem so scary anymore. “I uh, look, I know I haven’t…I haven’t made it easy for you guys. I wouldn’t blame you for not believing me when I say this but…I’d like that to change. Really.”

Percy looked at Nico for a long time, his expression serious. He looked older than the night of their senior prom, and Nico realized he probably looked older, too. Nico always felt like Bianca’s death aged him by a million years, and he hadn’t even been there for the crash, for her final breaths. It rarely crossed Nico’s mind that Percy and Annabeth had lost their childhood that horrible day, too.

“I think about her every day, you know.” Percy’s voice came out in a whisper, but the woods around them was so quietly muffled by snow that it felt like he was right next to Nico, instead of six feet away from where he stood. Nico saw tears gathering in Percy’s eyes, and when Nico blinked, his cheeks became wet with his own tears.

“I…I know you do. I know now.” Nico hung his head, and tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. “I’m sorry, Percy.” It was all he could think to say – Nico wouldn’t have agreed with himself to say ‘ _I was wrong_ ’, but he also wasn’t bold enough to say, ‘ _I miss you and Annabeth_ ’. Sorry seemed to be the only summarizing word he could choke out, and he hoped Percy knew Nico well enough, who Nico used to be, to see all the layers he was cramming into that little sentence.

“Does this mean you’ll come over to hangout sometime? Mrs. O’Leary misses you. Annabeth and me, too.” Percy’s eyes were crinkled, and he was smiling. He had small streaks of silver in his hair, Nico noticed, when the rising sun caught it just right. Nico wondered if it was always like that, or if Percy’s body had found unique ways to show the weight he had been carrying all theses years in Nico’s absence and Bianca’s death.

“S-sure. That would be nice. Maybe with the others, too?” Nico was relieved when Percy nodded enthusiastically. He really did want to make things better with Percy and Annabeth, but Nico knew it would take time, and people like Piper and Leo could help cushion the silent moments.

“Of course. As long as you bring Will. Something tells me he keeps you in line.” Percy winked, and then pointed back towards Will’s cabin. “Firewood is on the other side, by the way. Tell Will I said hello, and to treat you like a prince.”

“P-Percy! Nothing happened!” Nico sputtered at the laughing boy, who whistled for Mrs. O’Leary and began stomping through the snow back to his own cabin.

“Tell that to your hair, Nico. Run a brush through it next time you go out in public.” Percy jumped away when a snowball Nico had hurled at him exploded by his feet. “I’ll see you around, Neeks.”

Rolling his eyes at the nickname Percy had given him in elementary school, Nico exhaled as he watched his friend walk away. It wasn’t perfect, but if that hadn’t felt like a start, he wasn’t sure what would.

Stepping back into the cabin, Nico shoved as many logs as he thought was safe in the little stove, and waited until it seemed like the fire he had lit would hold before he closed the latch. Nico noticed his phone lying on the couch, and while Hazel had written a reply last night that he had seen before going to bed, he noticed there was one from earlier in the morning from his stepmother, Seph.

 _Seph: Hello, little bird. Your father has decided to leave earlier for a business trip he had planned for the New Year. Imperfect as he is, I think he’s trying to give you some space to come home – which I really hope you will. Hazel said you are safe, and I will try to respect your space, but I hope I’ll see you on Christmas. We will just be here. I love you, Nico._

Nico sighed. He knew there was so much to be done within his family, and he wasn’t even sure where to begin, but his father’s absence felt relieving. He didn’t want to go home just yet, as he looked up to the loft where Will was still sleeping, but he knew he owed Seph at least one reply.

_Nico: Thank you for letting me know. Maybe not today, but maybe Christmas._

_Nico: I love you too, Mom._

Clambering up the ladder, Nico got back into bed, pulling the covers over him quickly. He stared at Will’s peaceful, sleeping face, counting his freckles until Nico felt his eyes close.

\----

He felt fingers stroking his hair, and Nico began to wake up. It was later now, by his guesses, the sunlight peeking into the cabin at a new angle than the early morning. The air in the cabin was now warm, and Nico felt like a cinnamon roll that was rising in the oven.

His eyes to meet Will’s blue ones. Will was still a few inches away from Nico, but his fingers were threading through his hair, and he was adding light scratches to Nico’s scalp that made Nico want to purr like a kitten.

“Did you know,” Will said lazily, his eyes still tired, “that you snore?”

“What? No I don’t,” Nico protested, but he pulled the comforter closer to his chin, leaning into Will’s pets, not willing to sacrifice the comfort of Will’s bed and hands for his dignity.

“Yes, you absolutely do. I should have filmed it. It was monumental.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Maybe next time.”

“There won’t be a next time if you’re going to film me on your phone like a creep! Also, you're a horrible morning person."

"No I'm _not_."

"You really are - I thought you were going to take my head off when you threw that pillow at me."

"Did I do that?" Will mused, and he started scratching harder at Nico's scalp, messing up his hair and deepening the tangles. "And here I was so tired I thought I was just aiming at an annoying bird that wouldn't shut up when I was trying to sleep-"

"You're such a diva." Nico’s hand shot out of the covers to push Will’s chest, but Will caught it in his larger hand, and pressed it over his heart. Nico felt the teasing energy leave the cabin quickly, just as the cold did with the now roaring fire, Will’s eyes staring at Nico seriously, almost a darker blue than they normally were.

“Hey, Will?”

“Yeah?”

“I, I never…” Nico lifted himself up slightly on his free elbow so he could look downwards at Will, his fingers feeling the steady _thump-thump_ of the sunshine-y boy’s heart. “I didn’t thank you for um, for my Christmas present. So…thank you.”

“Oh! Um. You’re welcome.” Will looked confused, but smiled. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Yes it was, Will, it was really thoughtful, and…and nice. And I didn’t get you anything.” Nico admitted this last part in a mumble, feeling embarrassed that it hadn’t even crossed his mind before this morning, but Will was shaking his head.

“You don’t have to give me anything, Nico. This is more than I could have asked Santa for, this Christmas.” He tapped his fingers on Nico’s, blushing right along with Nico. “Shops are closed for the holiday, so you can’t make it up to me with a last-minute gift anyways.”

At that, Nico’s brain brought an idea to the front of his mind, one so delightful that he found himself grinning at Will from ear to ear. Nico inched back down on his side and got closer, until Will’s chest and legs were touching his, their feet finding each other's ankles to interlock. Nico put both of his hands on either side of Will’s face, the blonde’s eyes lit up in surprise.

“Hey Will?” he asked, calmly, but he could feel the affection and joy that bubbled from his throat from being so close to this warm and kind person. 

“Yeah?” Will whispered, but he was grinning now, too, as if he knew what Nico was going to say next.

“Merry Christmas.” And Nico swooped in, connecting their lips together in a firm, smiley kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I listen to the Love Actually piano theme on repeat when I wrote this chapter? YES. 
> 
> I hope you loved this chapter as much as I did.


	19. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys when work starts for me again I know I won't be as free to write so heeeeerrreee's more! @_@ I hope you like it as I felt very awkward writing this the entire time (not for the content itself, but because I've never written in this direction before)

If he hadn’t already been laying down, Will would have collapsed when Nico kissed him. His legs felt weak. His brain had floated away. His hands explored with a mind of their own, unsure where to settle, be it the back, the hips, or the hair of this black-haired _angel_ laying next to him. When Nico didn’t pull away, when he deepened their kiss to make it into something so much more complex, parting his lips, Will made an embarrassing moan right into Nico’s mouth, warmth rushing over his entire body.

He didn’t need water, or food, or breathing – this was the only thing his lips wanted, to stay connected to Nico forever. So what if they died? They would die kissing, which had skyrocketed to the top of Will’s favorite things to do.

Nico was soft, and slight, but he had surprising strength. He had released Will’s face to grip the hair at the nape of Will’s neck, giving it a light tug. Eventually, he pulled hard enough to disconnect them, and Will looked at Nico in disappointment, confused.

Nico’s hair was falling in his eyes, which were practically black, and he was panting slightly. With one hand still on Will’s hair, his other one snuck upwards, and Will felt the long, cool fingers brush over his lips.

“You have,” Nico breathed out, “A freckle. Right there. Above your lip.” Will felt Nico’s index finger tap on the righthand side of Will’s lip, just before the bowed dip under his nose. To his delight, Nico leaned forward and pressed his lips to that spot. “I’ve wanted to do that for _ages_.” Nico was now nuzzling Will’s face, whispering in his ear, and Will was on the verge of falling to pieces in Nico’s hands just at that alone.

“ _Nico_ ,” Will whined, and he clasped his hands on Nico’s cheeks, keeping him close, “You can’t tell me stuff like that – I’ll just explode, like a dying star or firework or something. I mean uh, not _explode_ , I uh…” Will ignored the grin on Nico’s face while Will felt himself turn red in the face. “That was the wrong metaphor. Shut up! Don’t _laugh_!”

But Nico was laughing fully at Will now, his body shaking with peals of laughter. It sounded like bells. Will was too mortified to be taken with the lovely sound, however, and he pushed Nico away, so the boy was laying on his back, clutching his sides.

“S-sorry, it’s just, that was s-such a _dumb_ thing to say, Solace.” Nico burst out his words in choked laughter, and that was enough for Will. He swung his body so that he was hovering over Nico, his hands on either side of his torso. Nico’s eyes widened, but he was still chuckling.

“You gonna wipe that smile of your face, di Angelo, or do I have to do it for you?” Will brought his nose to Nico’s, noting the various colors that existed in Nico’s eyes and eyelashes, if you were close enough. Nico gave him an eye roll, still smirking, still giggling. “Really? All right - I bet I can make it happen.”

Will looked down, hovering over where the edge of the sweatshirt Nico was wearing met the hemline of his shorts. Will was thrilled to see a small flash of skin, Nico’s hipbone peeking out as if to say hello. Will bent down and gave it a soft kiss, and he heard Nico gasp, but Will could tell that he hadn’t gotten Nico out of the feelings of hilarity just yet. He would just have to work harder.

“Still think something’s funny?” Will asked as his hand snaked under the sweatshirt, suppressing a groan at Nico’s soft skin, how taut his stomach was. He went back up to place his lips on so many parts of Nico that he had admired from afar, reveling that this was happening, that time seemed to stand still just so Will could enjoy Nico.

“How about now?” Will brushed his mouth over both of Nico’s eyes, which were now closed.

“Or now?” His lips met Nico’s cheekbone, and then his jaw. His hand petted Nico’s cool skin, which was warming up more and more wherever Will touched him. Nico’s breaths became heavier. When Will whispered in his ear, Nico moaned softly, low in his throat, his hands tracing Will’s back needily.

“Now?” Will pulled the sweatshirt down from Nico’s neck with his other hand, laying kisses on the sharp collarbone he found, the hollow of Nico’s throat.

“Now?” Each of Nico’s wrists, marked with Will’s gentle touches. His hand going back down the side of Nico’s torso, he lifted the sweatshirt from the bottom, just enough to expose Nico’s stomach.

Will questioned Nico as he kissed him there too, many times over, “How about now? I bet you’ve got nothing to laugh about anymore, right?” He looked up towards Nico, who gazed at Will with an almost drunk look, his eyes lidded and his cheeks pink.

“No, I don’t.” Nico whispered, and his hands found Will’s hair, stroking the thick blonde tendrils to the side.

“Hm,” Will was circling a thumb on Nico’s hip, and he gave a small smile as Nico shivered in anticipation, “I don’t think I believe you. In fact I think you are still laughing pretty hard.”

Nico pulled his head up, brow furrowed in confusion. “Will, what – ” and then Nico gave out a loud, startled cry as Will pressed his face into Nico’s stomach, giving him the biggest raspberry he could deliver before Nico started fighting to get away.

“WILL, hahaha, STOP, hahahaha, I’m serious-” Nico was laughing harder than ever as Will kept repositioning his head away from the shoving, blowing into Nico’s side quickly to continue tickling him. Finally, Will relented, his point made, and Nico rolled away from him, hugging a pillow to his body protectively while he tried to give Will a glare, his black hair messier than when he woke up earlier.

“You look like a little overwhelmed owl!” Will reached out for Nico, finding that he couldn’t keep his hands off this adorable boy, even if it was just to hold him.

“That was _not cool_ , Will.” Nico grumbled, but he was smiling as Will pulled him closer, snuggling in the crook of Will’s neck. “See if I ever kiss _you_ again after that.”

“Oh, you will. I’m irresistible.” Will stated proudly, twitching slightly when he felt Nico’s fingers poking his side. Suddenly, a low growl emitted from Nico’s stomach, startling them both, and Will looked down at him. “Was that…you?”

Nico looked up at Will sheepishly. “I…I may have skipped dinner last night.”

“What!” Will sat up, and Nico fell from his arms with an ‘oof’. “Nico, you should have said something. I have so many day-old pastries downstairs. Come on, I’ll make us something.”

As Will climbed down the ladder, he chided Nico, grabbing plates and forks and unwrapping the pink cellophane from the pastries he kept in the fridge. “Honestly, I know you’re tough but you’re super skinny, you can’t just skip meals and then not mention anything till you’re basically starving, geez, Nico –”

And it went on like that for a bit, until the pastries were warmed, coffee was made, and they were sitting on the couch, Nico taking a large bite of a scone while giving Will a pointed look. Deciding that the next best activity would be to watch one of the many movies Will thought Nico should have seen already, Will left Nico with his DvD collection, and took in the sight before him. Nico’s hair was still messy, and he was bundled in a combination of knit blankets and covered in crumbs, but Will didn’t think he had ever seen someone so beautiful, so unique, until this very moment. It had crossed his mind last night, as they shared their deepest hurts and the losses they’d suffered, that Will was diving into whatever this thing was with Nico headfirst, without checking how deep the water truly was. He looked at Nico, the watched sunlight giving a glow to the boy’s black hair, his eyes animated as he pointed out to Will a movie he _had_ seen, and when he had seen it, and what his favorite part was, wearing Will’s sweatshirt.

Will was far past smitten, far from the simple crush that had blossomed day one of Nico’s work in the bakery. Will was past the point of no return, as he gazed at Nico, and stole glances at him later, during the movie, feeling Nico’s long fingers resting on Will’s knee.

This felt like it was _it,_ a click deep in Will's soul that he had thought for years he would never get. And Will would knew he would dive headfirst over and over again into this unknown territory, because he was positive that Nico was the one, _Will's one_ , who was worth diving for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I'm gonna be over here with my hands hiding my face ;-)


	20. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! Thanks so much for all your comments guys they seriously make my day and encourage me to keep writing !

“You sure you feel okay going in?” 

“Yeah – Seph wouldn’t lie. If she says my dad’s away, then he’s away.” 

Will had driven Nico back to the di Angelo home on early Christmas morning. Nico was peering through the window of Will’s clunky yellow truck, watching how the outer walls of his family’s home seemed to loom over him. Nico took a breath. 

He could do this. Maybe. He had told Seph he’d be home for Christmas, and he knew he couldn’t hide out in Will’s cabin all day (however cozy and sacred it had become to Nico in the span of 48 hours). Besides, Will’s Christmas plans were with the Jacksons and Annabeth; Will had smiled when he mentioned how Sally Jackson, after the last dinner he spent at their house, revealed an extra stocking hanging above her fireplace, the name “Will” stitched on in bright gold letters (It made Will cry immediately, which in turn got Sally and Paul crying, until little Estelle wandered into the living room, asking why everyone was so sad). Despite his existing plans, Will had invited Nico to stay in with him for Christmas, which became increasingly tempting as the day went on, but… No, Nico wouldn’t, he couldn’t, take that away from Will. A household that had become a haven, and a place where Will had a stocking with his name on it, and presents under the tree, trumped whatever Nico had just started with Will, yet to be labeled. 

Still, Nico found himself hesitating, his hand on the car door, but not moving. He looked over at Will, who was watching him with concerned blue eyes. “It’ll be okay, Will. I’ll be fine.” Nico was reassuring Will, but he also felt him saying it to himself. 

Will looked unsure, biting his lower lip, as if thinking of what to say. Nico smiled in spite of himself, given that his own lips felt practically bruised from kissing Will almost all of yesterday, and when they woke up that morning. When they weren’t busy kissing, then Nico was taking every opportunity to study Will intricately, as if he was trying to memorize an entire book, or be able to draw something from memory; up close, Will’s yellow hair smelled like tea tree oil scented shampoo, and his freckles not only went his cheeks and nose, but dotted above his eyebrows and close to his hairline. Will was difficult to wake up in the morning, but also passionate about having his meals at routine times of the day. He loved having his hair played with. He cried at romance and action movies, but got increasingly opinionated during science fiction and horror. Will liked to be neat and tidy, but had piles of organized chaos - for example, to the right corner of the TV, against the wall, he had a stack of books from various genres for his goal to ‘read for fun’, but he admitted that he had stopped and started far too many, using bookmarks made from sticky notes and napkins. Learning about Will, studying him, touching him, was intoxicating, and Nico felt like an addict going back for more before he had time to catch his breath. 

This was another reason Nico was insisting on going back home that morning. Nico didn’t want to leave Will’s side, but, a small thought in the back of his head thought it might be a good thing. In Will’s cabin, time had seemingly stopped for them, giving a condensed span of emotional and physical intimacy that Nico imagined would take the average couple 5-8 months to achieve. He didn’t regret a second of it, but he did have to wonder the consequences of diving so deep so fast, especially when he didn’t even know what the past two days made their relationship out to be. He knew that if Will had dared to request any labels out of Nico last night, while his freckled fingers ghosted over Nico’s face, his hips, his thighs, and he kissed his neck in just the right spot...Nico would have said yes to _anything_. In fact, Nico caught himself multiple times in their make-out sessions wishing that Will _would_ ask Nico to define things, to make this _something_ official - under the spell of spilled hearts and warm touches, he would have agreed to be Will’s boyfriend, his friend with benefits, or his housecleaner, all with a chorus of enthusiastic yes’s...but now, that was giving Nico a bit of a fright. For starters, he didn’t know he was capable of being that agreeable with _anyone_. Secondly, Nico was beginning to feel wary of how happy he was, happy to do anything for another hit of Will’s warm body against his own - was it because he truly wanted those things, or just the affirmation of someone like Will wanting him? 

Nico knew that he wouldn’t know what he actually wanted with Will, if he didn’t give himself a chance to come down from his high, and he had the feeling that Will was under the same spell, too. Nico had caught the blonde’s not-so-subtle gazes at Nico while they ate their meals, or while he thumbed through Will’s DvDs to pick the next film. Will would have a hungry look in his eyes when he would reach for Nico, or hold him, or sigh contentedly when Nico played with his hair – Will was like a big, lazy lion, basking in Nico like he was the sun, and out of the safety of Will’s cabin, this was all was feeling very new and...big. He wished he could tell Will all of this, but where would he start? What if he hurt Will’s feelings? What if Will wasn’t actually feeling the same level of intensity at all? 

Nico blinked, realizing that neither he nor Will hadn’t said anything for a few moments now. Will’s eyes had that half-lidded look again, staring at Nico’s mouth while his own lips were parted open. Nico mentally kicked himself; here they were, a few feet from the home he had grown up in, and they couldn’t go more than a fifteen minute drive without wanting to put their hands on each other again. 

“Solace,” Nico said warningly, “I’m not making out with you outside my parents’ house.”

Will dropped his jaw, but he was smiling. “Excuse me, di Angelo? Mind in the gutter much?” 

“Oh please, it’s written all over your face.”

“Really? Hm,” Will leaned forward, his nose almost brushing Nico’s, “Maybe you can point out which parts – _mmph_.” Will’s mouth and nose were squished against Nico’s hand which he had popped up between them. 

“Will, you have to stop. I’ll never leave the car.” Nico blushed when Will rolled his eyes and moved his lips against Nico’s palm, until he also felt the wet feeling of Will’s tongue poking out too. “ _Ew_ , Will, not cool!” Will laughed. 

Nico was wiping his hand on his jeans, huffing in disgust, when Will’s forehead connected with his own. “I’m sorry.” Will said, his eyes bright and earnest, not really looking sorry at all. “I’m just going to miss you today, and,” he gave Nico’s cheek a quick peck, before whispering in his ear, “I like you _so_ much, Nico di Angelo. I’m so happy I can finally tell you that.” 

“O-Oh. Th-thanks, Will.” Nico began reaching behind him for the door handle, and pulled it, nearly toppling out of the truck backwards, had Will not managed to grab his arm. _Smooth, Nico_. Staring at Will, Nico fought to say something, anything, but he felt frozen, both by Will’s ease at admitting his feelings and Nico’s apparent inability to share his own. 

“I…I should really get inside,” Nico managed to stutter out, “before…before I never leave this car. And I’m close to that point, sooo...” He chuckled weakly, praying for Will to release him from whatever spell was pulling Nico towards the freckled face like a magnet. 

It wasn’t the ‘ _I like you so much too!’ reply_ that was screaming to be released from the walls of Nico’s heart, but the message seemed to get some of the affection across, because Will gave him a toothy grin, and another kiss, this time on the lips, before Nico finally, _finally_ got out of the truck and onto the gravel pavement, watching Will’s truck pull away slowly. 

Sighing, his backpack on one shoulder, Nico tried smoothing down his hair as he walked into the house. 

\--- 

“Hello?” Nico found the house oddly quiet. Usually, depending on the time of day, one could hear the chefs cooking, or the maids were cleaning, or music playing generally throughout the house. He knew that the staff was given the holidays off (the di Angelos knew how to keep a loyal workforce long before healthcare and holidays were a normalized thing), but there should have at least been the noises of Seph puttering around, or Hazel going from room to room. 

Nico peeked in the kitchen, and the living room, and didn’t see anyone. In fact, there wasn’t even a fire lit, which was strange. He knew it was early in the morning, but he was the only one who really slept in within the family unit, ever. 

“Hazel? Seph? Are you here?” Nico wandered over to and up the big staircase, wondering if he would find Hazel in her room (or at least check his own to make sure Hades hadn’t moved all his things out before he skipped town). 

Hazel’s door was slightly ajar, and he poked his head in, surprised to find Seph sitting upright in the bed, a book in her lap, Hazel a snoring lump beside her. Seph’s hair was in a bun, and she was wearing her glasses (she _rarely_ wore them in front of others), and when she saw Nico, she raised a hand to her lips, gesturing to Hazel and whispering, “Let her sleep.” With the dexterity of a nimble cat, Seph pulled herself up and away from Hazel’s bed, and walked Nico into the hall.

“Since when do you two have sleepovers?” Nico shuffled awkwardly, feeling as though he had walked in on a private moment. Seph was looking at him thoughtfully, as if calculating what to say in reply.

“Actually…” Seph trailed off, though she didn’t look uncomfortable (that rarely happened for Seph). “We did this quite a bit when you left...well, when you left during high school.”

Nico gave Seph a disbelieving stare; he knew she and Hazel were close, but he couldn’t see the correlation between their nights spent together and his absence. As if sensing his confusion, Seph gave a sigh, folding her arms and looking at the door to Hazel’s room.

“Hazel is incredibly strong...but she’s not so strong that her brother leaving doesn’t affect her.” Seph said this so matter of factly that Nico winced, and she raised her eyebrows at him. “You didn’t know?”

Nico shrugged. “I...I don’t know. When...when Bianca was gone, and Dad and I fought, it just seemed...it just made sense for me to go. Everyone seems to have done well without me, anyway.” He stated this as if it were factual, as he had told himself this narrative for years now - his family, his friends, Angel River...Nico was better off keeping his distance, and they were better off from it too. 

But Seph shook her head, her eyes revealing a weariness that was older than she looked. “We all grieved Bianca being gone. Her absence to this day is...is one of the first things I think about when I wake up, and the last thing when I go to sleep.” Seph brought a hand up to a necklace around her throat, three tiny silver starbursts on a delicate chain. “But you left an absence too, Nico, and it was an ambiguous loss given that you hadn’t passed away, but left without any explanation. That...that is something we grieved too. Me, your father, your friends, but Hazel especially. Did you ever consider that in the span of a month, she didn’t just lose a sister, but her brother too? That in this big house, she became an only child overnight?”

Nico’s throat was becoming tighter the longer Seph spoke, even though for some reason, Seph didn’t sound angry, or bitter. Her tone reminded Nico of when he was younger, and he would join her in the greenhouse, listening to her slowly, methodically instruct him on how to plant the seeds, and which plants needed more sunlight, and how to tell if you were overwatering. His conversation with Annabeth from weeks ago echoed in the forefront of his mind. 

_“You weren’t the only one who lost people that night. I lost you too, when you left.”_

“I’ve...I’ve been an ass, haven’t I?” Nico might have cried if he didn’t feel so tired. He felt one of Seph’s hand squeeze his shoulder.

“Maybe. A little bit. But,” Seph gently pulled Nico so he was facing the door to Hazel’s room again, “who says it’s not worth asking for a second chance anyway?”

Nico was staring at the door, and Seph gave him a slight nudge, her hand on his upper back now. Nico turned to her, feeling frightened of Hazel, something that never happened before in his life.

“Go. I’ll be downstairs working on breakfast. I’ll see you two when you’re ready.” With two pats, Seph turned and left, while Nico’s feet slowly brought him back into the bedroom and all the way to Hazel’s bed.

——-

_Bianca, you were always so much better at this..._

Nico tried to channel his older sister, as he slipped off his shoes and climbed into the bed to watch his younger one. Hazel looked sound asleep, but her eyes were puffy and her nose was a bit reddened. Nico’s stomach sank at the thought of him causing those tears, and probably so many more when he had left the first time.

“Hazel…” Nico whispered, and he began stroking her hair, speaking even though she didn’t stir, “I...I can’t make up for the past seven years. I can’t tell you that I was thinking about how this would all hurt you. How it would hurt...everyone.” He swallowed thickly, fighting the tears that wanted to spring from the corners of his eyes, “I hope you know...I never _wanted_ to leave _you..._ at least, I never wanted you to think you weren’t worth sticking around for.” He was practically sniffling now. _Hazel really does sleep like the dead…_ “I love you Hazel, and I’m so so sorry for making you worry like this. I’ve been a shit big brother but...I want...I do _want_ to be better.”

He was surprised when Hazel quickly wrapped her arms around Nico - he thought she had been asleep for what was feeling like a practice round of all he wanted to say. He could hear Hazel sniffling now too, her head buried in Nico’s shoulder.

“You’re still my big brother, Nico.” Hazel whispered, her tone thick with tears. “I just like it when you’re my big brother who lets me know where he lives and when he is safe, and that he loves me…”

“I _do_ love you, Hazel.” Nico was squeezing her tightly as they both cried. “Gods. I really have been an ass about this. Especially to you.” _I’ve got to stop crying in other people’s beds every night,_ Nico thought to himself. 

“Yes, well…” Hazel looked at Nico now, a small smile breaking through her tear stained cheeks, “Who says you can’t ask for a second chance?” 

Nico gaped at her. “You heard?” 

“Every bit of it.”

“Creep.” 

“Ass.”

“Okay, okay.” Nico was thankful for some laughter that now emitted from both of them. “I deserved that. I’m sorry. For leaving a couple nights ago…and for...before that, too.”

Hazel was picking a stray thread from her bedding absentmindedly. “It’s okay. That was an ugly row you had with Dad. And honestly, we didn’t stop when you had left. I think Seph and I ganging up on him was why he left early.

“Well, he would be right to fear the wrath of the di Angelo women.” Nico mused, and Hazel smirked.

“Well, he deserved it. Perhaps being an ass runs on the _male_ side of the family.”

“Comparing me to Dad, Hazel? Really? Did we not just make amends?”

“Fine, fine.”

“Now that we have...poured our hearts out, would you be interested in that breakfast that I know you know Seph is making?”

“Sure, but...Nico, can I ask you one more thing?”

“Yes, of course.” Nico felt nervous at Hazel’s serious face, but he wanted to show her that he wasn’t afraid. That he was present, and would try to be present.

“Can you tell me…” Hazel lifted her hand and brought a pointed finger down to Nico’s neck, “where that hickey came from?”

 _Screw being present._ “I think I hear Seph calling us, Hazel. Up and at ‘em.”

“Nico! No fair! Get back here!”

“Sorry, can’t hear you!”

When Nico and Hazel tumbled into the kitchen, practically breaking out into an adult sibling wrestling match, they froze when they saw Seph standing by the stove, in the middle of flipping a pancake.

“Merry Christmas, little doves. Are we trying to wrestle information out of Nico on who gave him that hickey?”

 _I’m going to kill Will Solace,_ Nico thought, as two of the most important women in his life began laughing around him. He couldn’t help but smile, but he turned away so they wouldn’t see. He had some scrap of dignify left to protect, after all.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile Hades is off in some hotel room, out of state, avoiding his problems... ;-) hope you liked the chapter! Guess what’s coming up? New Years! Anything else you’re hoping to see? Personally, I feel like writing one chapter focused on kissing was a pretty big deal for me LOL 😂 if you liked it I will muster up the courage to attempt more!


	21. Encouragements and Slight Epiphanies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every time I think im close to a certain type of chapter (ie: the friends-hanging-out-chapter), stuff like this happens @_@ also I changed the rating for this story from T to M, not for any *spicy* reasons but more because idk, this story is churning out more mature themes than I initially intended and I'd rather be safer than sorry...depression, loss, grief, and relationships can be a lot for some of us to take in! So take care of yourself as you're reading ANY story, not just mine.

“Hey!” Annabeth was waiting for Will, gripping his forearm in the entryway of Sally and Paul’s house. Percy was in the middle of spinning his sister into a hug nearby, her giggles adding to the warmth and Christmas music in the cute little home. “Percy told me about you and Nico! That’s so exciting!”

“Hm?” Will tried to act nonchalant as he peeled off his jacket, but he could feel himself blushing; Nico had mentioned that he and Percy had chatted, and while Will didn’t consider himself prudish, it _did_ feel a bit embarrassing that his neighbors knew that Nico had slept over not just once, but two nights in a row (Will had caught Percy peeking at them from the window of his and Annabeth’s cabin when he drove Nico back to his house in the morning).

“Yeah! Sooo…what, are you and Nico a thing now?” Percy asked as he returned to where Will and Annabeth stood, bouncing Estelle on his hip. At the sight of Will, Estelle reached out her arms and shrieked in delight. 

“Nothing happened, Percy.” Will whispered, nearly lifting the toddler up to his face so he could hide behind her.

“I’m not talking about _sex_ , you perv.” Percy rolled his green eyes, pulling away when Annabeth elbowed his side, jutting her chin towards to Estelle with a look of warning. “Back off Annabeth, Estelle knows what sex is. Don’t you, sis?”

“Sex.” Estelle repeated calmly, as if this was a regular conversation she had with her significantly older brother. When Will and Annabeth gave Percy matching looks of horror, he shrugged, unfazed.

“Mom doesn’t like to lie about where babies come from. And Paul is like, getting into that new age, sex-positive child-rearing book that’s been circulating around by that Dr. Venus chick.”

“ _Okay_ Percy, noted. Your family is very progressive, good for you.” Will snapped as he pulled Estelle’s chubby fingers out of his hair; she had recently become fascinated by Will and Annabeth’s bright blonde hair, only familiar with the black and brown of her own family.

“Yellow!” Estelle chirped proudly.

“Well, Percy’s bluntness aside… are you two dating now? Is he your boyfriend?” Annabeth was looking at Will quizzically, and he could tell her grey eyes were trying to work out a timeline of all the events that had led to Nico having an extended sleepover at his house. 

Thankfully, Sally and Paul appeared from around the corner, giving a warm welcome to Will and Annabeth, and the topic was dropped. Percy and Annabeth were still giving Will some sideways glances, but Will was pretending not to see them, focusing instead on Estelle’s passionate rendition of her part as a goat in her school’s nativity play, and the feast Sally had prepared that could have easily fed twelve people. Part of Will’s avoidance was from his own desire for privacy, but he also knew that he had no idea how to answer Percy and Annabeth’s questions. He didn’t know what he and Nico were at all, and being away from the raven haired boy was beginning to make him nervous, creating a sinking feeling in Will’s gut. He found himself replaying all that they had shared two nights before, second guessing if he had come on too strong when he told Nico how much he liked him, before sending him off into the di Angelo home and driving away.

 _What if I’m coming on too strong? What if Nico changes his mind while he’s not with me?_ Will was picking at a small hole in the knee of his jeans, looking down at his lap as dinner finished up. _Crap – I don’t even know when I’m seeing him next._

Mercifully, Annabeth seemed to pick up on Will’s distractedness, and asked if he would help her in the kitchen with the dessert they had agreed to bring (meaning that Will had swiped an unfrosted cake from the bakery that Annabeth would help him decorate before consumption). As Will worked on taking the ingredients for a chocolate glaze out of a paper bag, Annabeth touched his arm lightly.

“Will? Are you alright?”

“M’fine.” Will said, unconvincingly.

“Is it about Nico?”

 _Annabeth is too smart for her own good_. Will sighed, and gave a lame shrug as he turned on a stove burner, Annabeth handing him a small silver pot of water to place on it. “No. Yes. Well…” Will trailed off, and then decided he would forget decorum, just for this private moment in the kitchen with Annabeth. “I just…I like him _a lot_ , Annabeth. Like I’ve had a crush on him since I met him, but…when he stayed with me, we talked about everything.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, but stayed focused on her task of cutting squares off a block of dark chocolate with a sharp knife. “Everything?”

“Yeah, like…I told him about my parents, and my brothers.” Will hadn’t gone in nearly as much detail to Annabeth and Percy as he had with Nico, but his wise friend knew enough to catch the reference. “And, he told me about…what happened before he left Angel River.”

If this startled Annabeth, it didn’t show – the movements of her knife on the cutting board continued to be smooth, calculated. However, she had grown quiet, the _chop-chop-chop_ and the bubbles of the boiling water on the stove filled their silence, for a few minutes. Will wondered what it was like for Annabeth, knowing that Will had been given a glimpse into her high school years right along with Nico’s, knowing that she had been through something so traumatic and frightening.

“I just,” Will continued, not wanting to force Annabeth to dwell on the past, and wanting to say his own struggles out loud for some relief, “I feel…I’ve never felt this way about someone. I didn’t want to come tonight. I didn’t want to be away from him. And now I’m afraid that I’m crazy and I’ve just made it all up in my head, and Nico’s going to take off.”

“Will, why would he do that?” Annabeth handed him the glass bowl of chocolate chunks, which Will threw some squares of butter into.

“Because…because I don’t know, I’m going to _freak him out_. I can feel it. I’m going to show up at his house with a million roses or another piece of furniture and he doesn’t even know I have a _tattoo_ , but I’d do anything he wanted if he asked – ”

“What – ”

“I don’t actually _want_ to do all that, not right now,” Will was whisking chocolate and butter into a gooey concoction, the glass bowl sitting on the pot of boiling water, “But I feel like I _could_. Like I could just see him and my brain will short circuit and I’ll be dropping to one knee or giving him a key to my house, and he’ll bolt, like he should, and I’m just…I’m going to _ruin_ it, whatever _this_ is, and – ”

“Will. Stop.”

“I _can’t_ stop, Annabeth, I don’t know what’s _wrong_ with me, I –”

“No, _stop_ – you’ve whisked chocolate all over your sweater.”

Will glanced downwards at the dark flecks on his favorite light blue pullover. “ _Shit_.” He turned the stove off and yanked the sweater over his head, desperately trying to rub out the chocolate under the running water in the sink. Groaning when Annabeth came to his side to shut off the water, taking his ruined sweater out of his clutches, Will brought a hand over his eyes. “What’s wrong with me, Annabeth?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Annabeth said soothingly, as she began blotting at the stains with a rag. “I think you’re just a little head over heels, but it’s nothing that can’t be worked on.”

“Yeah, how’s that?” Will grumbled.

“Well first of all, you’re not going to _do_ any of those stupid grand gestures that you mentioned, so that’ll help. And you’re going to acknowledge that you, and probably Nico too, are probably emotionally hungover from cramming stories about your deepest traumas and secrets into one sleepless night. Stories, by the way, that most people don’t share with a partner until _much_ later.” She gave Will a disapproving look, which only made him grumpier.

“Sure, I bet you and Percy took your sweet time.”

Annabeth threw the rag so it landed with a wet _plop_ on Will’s head, which he took off with a noise of disgust. “Percy and I,” she said with a smile, but her eyes had gotten stormy, “have known each other since we were twelve. And you’re right, we definitely dove into our own fair share of quick emotional intimacy, but by that point…well, by that point, we knew we were meant to be.”

Will looked over at Annabeth, who was gazing towards the door to the dining and living room, where Percy’s shouts of laughter were loud over that of Estelle and his parents. Will was surprised at how sad Annabeth suddenly looked, and he tentatively placed a hand over hers, giving her a questioning look. She shook her head and sighed, bringing her hands together.

“We’re actually quite similar, all four of us. We know too well how tomorrow isn’t promised, and we dive in because we’re scared it’s going to be our only chance. We fall harder and quicker than we mean to.” Annabeth’s fingers were playing with the engagement ring on her finger, a simple band of diamonds that glittered in the light. Will wondered if Annabeth, who dreamed of being an architect in a big city, who loved museums and giant libraries, would have gotten engaged, would have taken this camp job, if she hadn’t seen loss so vividly. Will felt strange thinking about how people coming and going from someone’s life could alter their course so drastically.

As if reading his mind, Annabeth stopped fiddling with her ring, and gave Will a pointed look. “For the record, I don’t regret anything about where I’m at with Percy. I might be highlighting how loss rushes things, but it’s also made me surer than I’ve ever been, especially about him. I was more afraid of never telling Percy how I felt, never _acting_ on it, than I was afraid of loving him openly and letting know me, deeply.”

“And look at you now.” Will nodded to Annabeth’s ring, and gestures to the walls of the house around them.

“And look at us now.” Annabeth agreed with a nod, and then turned to grab the bowl of chocolate ganache, pouring it over the little brown cake that was waiting on a plate on the counter in front of her. Picking up the finished cake, Annabeth bumped her hip against Will’s, and gave him a smile. “I’m going to take this out now. Try not to worry too much, Will. I know Nico can be a bit of…well, he can tend to bolt, but even if he did, it doesn’t mean your feelings are wrong. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be exactly what Nico needs to hear.”

Will followed her dumbly into the other room, where his surrogate family cried in delight at the chocolate cake she had placed on the table. As Sally and Paul both moved to grab Estelle from sticking her fingers into the frosting, Annabeth walked swiftly to Percy, enveloping him in a tight hug, which he returned in earnest, placing his chin on top of her head while he whispered a something in her ear.

Will felt like his heart was being carried away by butterflies. He felt a surge of certainty, one moment unmarred by self-doubt. It was that surge that told him to drive to Nico’s house later that evening.

——

“And that makes sweater number _four_ for Nico!” Hazel was grinning from her spot on the couch, as Nico stared at the maroon-colored knit peeking from the wrapping. They had decided to open presents later in the day, and Nico was realizing that Seph’s idea of a Christmas present for him was a brand-new wardrobe that flirted with colors outside of black and grey. He found it hard to be annoyed when, each time he opened a new piece of clothing, she would whisk it to the free space of the long couch, arranging the pieces to show Nico all the outfit combinations he could make.

“This could be for a job interview!” She would say, as she threw a mustard yellow scarf over a ridiculously expensive blazer. “This could be for a date night! If you’re going to admit to me who it is you’re dating, that is.” And she would glare at Nico, who would shake his head, and Hazel would laugh, starting the cycle over with each opened present.

“Thanks Seph,” Nico began collecting wrapping paper to toss in a nearby trash bag, “When I have either of those events going on in my life, I’ll be sure to ask you to dress me.” He smirked when his stepmother sighed exasperatedly.

“There’s one more for you, Nico.” Hazel had the new watercolor set and sketchpad that Nico had gotten her in her lap, already unpacking it into the leather brush and pencil holder that Nico found at the market a few weeks back. In her hand, she was holding a medium-sized square box, wrapped in silver with a thick white bow. It didn’t match any of the wrapping from Seph’s gifts, which was how Nico knew it was from Hazel.

He felt his breath catch when a picture of a camera peeked up at him from the bits of the box where he had torn away the wrapping paper. “Hazel, what is this?”

“Well, I know you love film, and this is digital, but I thought…I don’t know, I just think it would be fun to see you taking pictures again. I saw it in the Labyrinth gift shop and I couldn’t resist.” Hazel beamed as Nico hid his face under his bangs, feeling overwhelmed at the thoughtful gift and unsure of what to say, aside from multitudes of ‘thank you’s’ he kept slipping out.

A chime from what turned out to be Seph’s phone broke the moment, and Seph glanced at the screen with surprise. ‘Your father’, she mouthed, and she answered the call, leaving the room and giving her children a wave as if to say, ‘carry on without me’.

As Nico was opening the box that contained the beautiful, sleek camera, Hazel called him away from the gears and buttons.

“Hey Nico?”

“Hm?”

“It’s Will, isn’t it? The… _friend_ you were with?”

Blushing at Hazel’s raised eyebrows and curious smile, Nico nodded, looking away again. “Yes,” he said softly, “though I’m not sure what to make of it all.”

“I thought you liked him?” Hazel tilted her head to the side; Nico was reminded of the curious head tilt that puppies would give, their eyes as bright and hopeful as Hazel’s were now. “Did something go wrong?”

Nico shook his head, more quickly than he realized. “N-no! Not at all, he’s, Will’s…Will’s _lovely_ , actually.” He almost fanned his faced from how hot he was suddenly feeling, despite only wearing a short sleeve t shirt and none of the sweaters Seph had bought for him. “I just…I’m a bit scared, actually.”

“Scared of _Will_?”

“Scared of how much I _like_ Will.” Nico corrected her, and, sensing that Seph would probably be on her phone call for a while, her murmured voice barely audible from another room away, Nico told his sister all about the night before Christmas Eve, and the bits of Will’s story that he thought would be appropriate to share, without giving away too many details on Will’s behalf. He left out the kissing parts, because Hazel was his sister, after all, and he knew his unfortunately-placed hickey was enough to clue Hazel in to the physical intimacy aspect of things. Hazel listened with rapt attention, nodding whenever Nico got to a point in his sharing that gave him pause, or humming in sympathy when Will’s losses were revealed and reflected in Nico’s own.

“So now I don’t know what to do,” Nico pulled his knees up to his chest, and placed his chin on his knees, staring at the crackling fireplace in front of them. “I didn’t even say I liked him back, when he dropped me off, so I’m worried I hurt his feelings.”

“Well…” Hazel trailed off, looking thoughtful. “I don’t think you should just tell him what you think he wants to hear, for the sake of his feelings. If you don’t actually feel like you like him back that way – ”

“I _do_ , though, that’s the problem. I like him _so_ much. Too much. He…I don’t think he can be my one person, Hazel.”

“Well...everyone needs more than one person, Nico. That’s why you have me, and Mr. D, and Reyna and Jason – ”

Nico was shaking his head, while also realizing he still had another week of holiday before he could connect with his therapist again, and he hadn’t texted Reyna or Jason since he had first landed in Angel River. “No, no, Hazel, that’s not what I _mean_.”

“What do you mean, then?”

“I…I…this,” Nico threw his palms to the sky, feeling exasperated, “I’ve messed up so much, Hazel. And now Will knows _all of that_ , and he still wanted me to stay with him today. But what if I see him tomorrow and…and that’s all gone away? Not just in me, but in _him_?” He brought his fingers to his face automatically, not even surprised to find a tear was sliding down his nose. “This…this isn’t supposed to be _happening_ to me! I’m not supposed to be who Will _wants_ , I can’t…I don’t…it’s not what I was supposed to be doing, when I came back here. I can’t screw another thing up, I can’t. I can’t let Will be my person, because I don’t get to fall in love _and_ have the happy ending, Hazel. And what if…what if I don’t come back from this when it screws itself up?”

He had buried his head in his arms now, sniffling, so he didn’t see his sister lift herself from her corner of the couch, didn’t know she was sitting next to him until he felt her arms wrapped around him. “I know it’s scary.” Hazel’s voice was firm, solid, and Nico strained to listen to her over his rising anxiety, “Of course it’s scary. But Nico, don’t you dare let me hear you say that you can’t do this, that you can’t have Will, because some untrue part of your brain is telling you that you don’t _deserve_ to.” She kissed the top of his head, and seemed to be holding him tighter now, her voice never wavering. “You’re the best big brother that I could ever have asked for. You are _not_ a failure. You deserve to be happy. You can let yourself deserve Will, okay? And I’ll be right here for whenever you are freaking out, but from what you’ve told me, I don’t think he’s the thing to run away from this time.”

Nico didn’t have a reply, except to lean into Hazel’s hug, waiting for his tears to subside and for the light Hazel provided in his life to guide him away from the dark space he had slipped into without warning.

Nico used to want Percy to like him in a way that he never could. He had wanted his sister Bianca back from the dead. He had wanted to complete a thesis that was eating him alive. He had wanted, at a very low, sick point just a few months ago, more time to sleep, to remove himself from all in the world that was hurting him. He had wanted a quick way out of his suffering.

Now, in a turn of events that he never would have bet would come from Angel River, he wanted Will. And while it was absolutely terrifying, Nico found, with Hazel’s murmured affirmations, that maybe, just maybe, this was the right thing to want.

And then, as if on cue, the familiar honk of Will’s truck was outside his door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually, this was just a fan chapter for how much I love Annabeth and Hazel. Oops. Sorry not sorry. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! :')


	22. Just a Little Gesture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woohoo! I love two updates in one day ! makes me feel very cool and productive (though I apologize if this one is not edited well)

Nico had rushed to the front of the house, though he had not anticipated that Hazel and Seph (apparently done on her phone call with their father), would follow along with him, standing directly behind him as he threw the door open. 

Will had also not expected witnesses, and Nico watched the freckled boy’s face change from delight at the sight of Nico, to horror seeing Hazel and Seph too. Will lowered his hands, which, Nico noticed with a dropped jaw, were holding stems of various flowers in a makeshift bouquet. 

“WILL?!” Seph yelled from behind Nico, making everyone flinch. “It’s Will? Oh Nico, how wonderful! You know, Will, you are one of my favorite employees and I couldn’t be happier that – ”

“ _Away. Please._ ” Nico growled at his stepmother, and turned to poor Will, who looked like he was going to erupt in flames right on the doorstep. Hazel, ever the helpful sister, grabbed Seph’s arm and started pulling. 

“We’ll uh, give you some privacy,” Hazel said, grinning at Will apologetically, “Nice to see you, Will!” Their voices faded as they stepped further into the house, and Nico closed the door, stepping down to Will’s level. Now, Will had a hand covering his face, and he seemed to be muttering to himself. 

“ _Stupidstupidstupid_.” Will mumbled from behind his hand, and Nico reached out to touch his shoulder.

“Will, just – ”

“No!” Will pulled away quickly, his blue eyes looking anywhere but at Nico’s, who flinched when he pulled away. “No, Nico di Angelo, _don’t_ try to make this not weird. Annabeth _told_ me not to do any gestures and I still grabbed you flowers, because I’m an _idiot_ , and these aren’t even bought from anywhere, I picked them from Sally’s garden like a criminal, and I can’t handle you trying to make me look _normal_ right now – ”

“Annabeth told you…?” Nico blinked, and shook his head. “Never mind. Will, come on, would you just look at me?”

“ _No, Nico, I won’t look at you right now_ ,” Will practically shrieked, “Because…because I’m already mortified enough and if I look at you, I’m not going to be able to say what I was going to say!”

While Will seemed to be working on his breathing, Nico leaned back on the door, crossing his arms. “Okay – talk.”

“Y-you sure?” Will suddenly sounded wary, which almost made Nico laugh. 

“Well…yeah. I mean, if you don’t start talking _soon_ , I might fill in with what _I_ want to say – ” 

“ _Iwantyoutobemyboyfriend.”_ Will rushed out. 

“W-what did you say?” Nico’s eyes widened. 

“I…I want _you_ ,” Will stared at the ground, but pointed directly at Nico, “to be my _boyfriend_ . B-because…” Will’s hands were moving erratically, as if he could grab the right words out of thin air. “Because, I’ve been away from you, all day, trying to tell myself to slow down, to not push you, to not…scare you, and I can’t. I can’t do it. I know it’s crazy, and I know it hasn’t been that long and you probably think I’m just high on our emotional 48 hours or just want to kiss you, and I _am_ , and I _do,_ b-but I also know that it’s _not_ crazy. I know _you_ .” Will grabbed one of Nico’s hands, squeezing it tightly. “I mean, I don’t know everything about you, or you me, but I feel like you’re _letting_ me know you, a-and I just want to keep doing that. All I want is let you keep knowing me. That is…uh, if-if you want to.” With one last exhale, Will finally stopped talking. 

“Yes.”

“Dammit, Nico, don’t push me away, I know you feel it too – ”

“ _Will_. I’m saying yes.” 

“Wait, what?” Will blinked, finally looking up at Nico. It shouldn’t have been funny, his shocked freckled face should not be making Nico smile, but here he was, on the stoop with Will, shaking his head as his grin spread from ear to ear. 

“I’m _saying_ ,” Nico stepped closer to Will, squeezing his hand back, “yes, I will be your boyfriend. It’s what I was going to ask if you weren’t so insistent on your speech.” 

“Y-you…you were going to…” Realization was coming slowly onto Will’s face, and he frowned. “I…I was ready to fight with you about this. I had a whole second part to the speech.” 

Nico laughed, and then threw his arms around Will’s neck. “I mean, if you want me to to take it back…” 

“ _No_.” Will’s arms swooped around Nico’s waist, and he brought his head down to get their eyes level. “Are you…You’re serious right? Boyfriends?” 

“I mean, it does scare me, a little, and…it’s kind of weird that we sort of skipped all the awkward first date stuff and jumped into our life stories, but…yeah.” Pressing his forehead against Will’s, Nico said, more quietly, “I feel all of those things about you too, Will. And I’d love to let you keep getting to know me.” 

Will shut his eyes as he lifted Nico’s chin upwards. “Awesome…” he said, and he gave Nico a long kiss that made Nico’s knees weak. Suddenly, Will’s breathy laughter sputtered through their kiss, and Will pulled away, saying, “I have a tattoo, by the way.” 

“You what?” 

“I have a tattoo. You didn’t know that. Now you know,” Will nuzzled Nico’s face, “Boyfriend.” 

“You’re such a dork.” Nico gave Will a tighter hug. “I’m not going to follow up on that right now, but...Do you…do you want to come inside? Put my flowers in some water?” 

“Oh!” Will lifted his bouquet, which had dropped a few sad petals to the ground. “Um, yes, sure.”

“Seph and Hazel are here and...I can’t make any promises they’ll behave.” 

Will grinned and laughed. “Let me at ‘em.” 

Nico laughed. “Okay - if you survive maybe I’ll let you watch _Friday Night Lights_ with me. I’m in the second to last season, remember?”

“Wow, I’m honored!” 

“Yeah, yeah, well, what are _boyfriends_ for…” And Nico opened the door, smiling when he heard Will trip over his feet at the new label. 

\----

After some incessant questioning and fawning over Will, the group inside the di Angelo home had settled into the couch. Seph and Hazel insisted that Will have some of the leftover tiramisu from their Christmas dinner, despite his protests of being full from the Jackson-Blofis meal. There was something cheery, deep in Nico’s bones, when he saw Will laughing with Hazel, or Seph pulling at his Will’s hair, asking if he was a natural blonde. It felt similar to when Will was at Nico’s side for the ornament party - Nico felt like the sunny boy was constantly coaxing the giddiness out of him, the one that Nico worked so hard to keep down, to not feel deeply for fear of it being taken away. 

As the evening waned on, a movie had been chosen (to coerce their guest to stay longer, Nico thought). Will had fallen asleep on Nico’s shoulder, snuggled under a blanket they were sharing, the credits of _Elf_ rolling on the screen. As Hazel moved to turn the television off, Seph waved at her and Nico, drawing their attention.

“How would you feel,” Seph tilted her head, “If I went to join your father on his little trip away? I could leave tomorrow and we’d both be back by the new year.”

“Oh…” Hazel looked at Nico, who didn’t know what to say. “Is...is everything okay?”

Seph looked at her sadly. “Yes, and no. I think…I know it must be hard to understand but, I sense that I need to go be his wife, right now. And I think it would be best if I came home with him. There are some things I need to address with him.” 

She then looked to Nico, a slight frown to her lips. “I won’t tolerate Hades treating you poorly, Nico. He knows that. I don’t want you to leave, or feel like you aren’t wanted but...if we come home and you’d like to make other arrangements, I would understand. But you’ll need to be _here_ , in Angel River, like we talked about before you got here.” 

Nico chewed his lip, trying to imagine how it must feel to be a mother and a wife, caught in the middle of the mess he and his father had made. He didn’t love the idea of Hades returning home, but...he didn’t feel scared about it, either. And Seph wouldn’t offer an out and just take it away if things went south. Willing himself into a state of resolve, Nico nodded to his stepmother. “Thank you...that...that sounds good.” 

“Alright. Well, I wasn’t going to ask unless my children were both under the same roof and seemed okay enough to leave.” Seph glided over, giving Nico and Hazel kisses on the forehead. “I’m going to go pack. Have a party or two here, will you? I always feel that Hazel missed her high school rebellious stage.” 

Nico had to laugh at that, because Hazel looked genuinely offended at the remark. “I think I may have been monopolizing that enough for the both of us, Seph.” 

“Don’t even joke about that - who do you think paid off Hermes when you and that Valdez boy incited the infamous, what does everyone call it,” She made air quotes and said, “The ‘ _bagel_ incident’.” When Nico genuinely gasped, Seph moved two fingers towards her eyes, and then back at him. “I see _everything,_ little bird. Let Hazel have her fun.” She clapped her hands, and then walked out of the room, almost regally. “Off to pack - Nico, Will can certainly stay here if you’d like, just be safe!” 

“Oh my god.” Nico hid his face in his hands, Hazel snickering at him. “Don’t laugh at me - you’re the one who needs to throw a party now.”

Hazel groaned. “I’ve tried to tell her, it’s not as fun when she leaves money out _for_ me to do it. I always stash it away.” 

“Seriously?” Nico sat up, not noticing Will stirring. “Well then...how much do you have?” The gears were turning in his head, a sudden idea of how he could reconnect with his friends, specifically Percy and Annabeth, in a more comfortable setting. Before Bianca had died, before everything changed, the di Angelo household was actually perfect for entertaining, and even better when his father wasn't in town at all. And now Nico had Will, and...well, things actually sounded _fun,_ for the first time in a long time.

Hazel frowned and shook her head. “Nico, come on -”

“Let’s have people over tomorrow. Just a small group - Frank, Piper, Leo...Percy and Annabeth,” He nodded towards Will, who yawned, “and Will, of course.” 

“Oh, you mean Will, your _booooyfriend_?” Hazel smirked. "No way."

"Come on Hazel, for me?" Nico gave her a wide-eyed look. "Help me re-enter society?"

Hazel stared at Nico with a frown, and finally leaned back in the couch, relenting. "It has to be _small_ , Nico."

"Of course, of course." Nico turned 

“What’s going on?” Will gazed at Nico with a sleepy grin. Nico leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend on the nose.

“Hazel’s throwing a rager tomorrow night, you in?”

“ _Nico_ \- ” Hazel huffed warningly, while Will said at the same time, “Oh cool!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will get us to the friendship chapters if it kills me lol


	23. Miscommunications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: AO3 went down as i was uploading this chapter and it uploaded twice. I fixed it but that meant i deleted some of your comments on the extra chapter, I’m sorry !! :’(
> 
> We journey on, friends! Thanks for reading <3

“I can’t believe you turned your party into something _outdoors_ , of all things.” Nico grumbled at Hazel as they wandered through the grocery store. He was throwing whatever piqued his interest into their shopping cart, which was almost full; something strange about feeling _happy_ , was that his appetite was coming back. He tended to eat small portions, but when Bianca died, Nico sometimes would go a whole day before realizing he hadn’t put anything in his stomach. The dining hall in college helped this, some, but once Nico moved off campus, he found that his old habits died hard, and he would use ramen packets and the occasional meal from McDonald’s to sustain his energy. His friends, Jason and Reyna, rarely came to Nico’s apartment without some sort of meal to sneak into his freezer, and they would always send Nico home with food when he went to their homes. However, Nico would usually only pick at the meals, until they went bad and he had to toss them. He also got into the habit of handing off the foil wrapped dishes to someone living on the street, one of many that he would pass on his way home. 

But now, Nico felt ‘better’, the phrase he kept using to himself and to Hazel, eventually to his therapist too, since it was a state Nico had been unfamiliar with for years – and it was beginning to feel like his stomach was trying to make up for lost time. Anything Will made in the bakery, Nico was the official taste tester for. The hearty, warm meals of the di Angelo home actually smelled tempting, and over his time back in Angel River, Nico was suddenly back to the three meals a day he would have growing up. 

_Rainbow Organic Foods & Lifestyle _ , the only grocery store in Angel River, was now reminding Nico that things like _junk food_ and _candy_ existed (Iris, the owner, highly dedicated to all things healthy knew that the store had to provide the colorful, sugary products to make more bang for her buck in the small town). With Hazel’s pocketed party money, Nico was close to buying out the entire stock of his childhood favorites – gummy bears, potato chips, spicy Cheetos, and frozen tater tots and pizza bites were taking over the carts’ contents. He was in the middle of grabbing two boxes of pop tarts (s’mores for Nico, strawberry for Hazel), as he chided his sister for the invitation she had texted out to their friends earlier that morning. 

“Percy has been wanting to do Capture the Flag since it started snowing – and I actually _prefer_ that to drinking myself into a stupor. Besides, the gang will come back to the house when the game’s done.” Hazel was rolling her eyes at Nico, who was holding up a box of cereal in front of her, a questioning look in his eyes. “Don’t look at me like I’m supposed to give you permission – you haven’t asked about the other seven-hundred things in here.” 

“I just want to make sure I’m not taking advantage of all your money,” Nico chirped, but he walked over to give his sister a quick side hug, “and that I get a cereal you like too.” 

“I certainly don’t remember the last time I had that chocolatey marshmallow stuff, but I appreciate the consideration.” Hazel bumped Nico playfully with her hip, and then glanced around the corner of the aisle they had reached the end of. “Where are Frank and Will, by the way?”

“We’re here!” Frank appeared from the opposite end of the store, Will in tow – they were both holding items that were much healthier than what existed in the shopping cart, and Will raised one of his eyebrows in judgement at the assorted junk. Nico ducked his head to avoid his boyfriend’s gaze; he was suddenly bashful from the night before, and he didn’t want Will to know. 

_Will had spent the night at the di Angelo household (he had fallen asleep two more times while watching Friday Night Lights with Nico, who determined that Will was too tired to drive home safely), but Nico had originally put him in the guest room, thinking it prudent while his stepmother and sister were in the house. Plus, leading a boy up to Nico’s room felt weird, given that all of his memories in the house were from being young, and his relationship with Will felt like such a grown-up thing. Will hadn’t complained when Nico tucked him in and said goodnight; the blonde was so sleepy that Nico wasn’t sure if Will even remembered being put to bed. However, around 3am, Nico woke with a start to his door opening and closing quickly, the weight of Will’s body landing on the mattress beside him._

_“_ _Oddio_ _! Will?! What the hell? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”_

_“There you are. Move over. Need covers.” Will was pushing Nico to the edge of the bed, and using the other hand to dig the covers open, like a dog would in the dirt. Swinging his legs underneath the blankets, Will snuggled further with a contented sigh._

_“Um, hello? What are you doing here?” Nico was crawling closer to Will, poking him in the face so he wouldn’t get away with startling him by falling back asleep so quickly._

_“Woke up. Confused. Couldn’t find you.” Will’s arms were snaking around Nico’s body as he began burying his face in the others’ chest. “Already scared Hazel. She said where your room was, but it’s dark. Got a little turned around in this mansion.”_

_“You already – Oh god.” Nico groaned in mortification for himself and for Hazel. He still let Will hold him tightly, though, and he shimmied down to face level with Will when he heard him murmuring. “What’s that?”_

_“Did you…did you not want me to be with you?” Will’s voice was thick with sleep, but it also sounded nervous, hesitant. Nico was grateful that it was too dark for Will to see the blush covering his face._

_“W-what? No, no, I just…” Nico screwed his lips together, feeling badly that Will had thought he was rejecting him. “It’s…I thought…it was proper, to give you your own room as a guest. And it’s on the ground floor and you were pretty tired anyway…”_

_Will’s shoulders started to shake, and Nico could hear his freckled companion’s husky laugh bounce off the walls of his bedroom._

_Nico frowned. “And what’s so funny?”_

_“It…’It was proper’?” Will mimicked Nico’s words in an exaggerated stiff tone. “God you’re older than you look.”_

_“Shut up.”_

_“Seriously, I feel like I’m in a Jane Austen novel, which isn’t bad since that means you’re Mr. Darcy- ”_

_“Will – ”_

_“We shared a bed for the past_ _two_ _nights, Nico – ”_

 _“I know, but not_ _here_ , _we didn’t,” Nico let out a whine in his response, and he felt Will’s body still, his laughter gone, “I just…I don’t know, my sister and stepmom you know?” Nico reached in the darkness to hold his hand on Will’s chest, his fingers making nervous circles in the soft t-shirt Will wore. He wasn’t sure why this topic had pushed him into a point of nervousness so quickly, and he was beginning to feel stupid. “I…I just felt…”_

 _“I didn’t get the impression they minded. Seph even said I could stay with you, I heard her.” Will had to have been frowning, his tone giving away what Nico couldn’t see on his face._

_“Well yeah, but like, Hazel – ”_

_“Hazel, who pointed me to your bedroom a minute ago? I don’t get it, I don’t want to_ _do_ _anything, I just missed you and didn’t know where you were - ”_

_“Well, I don’t know that, Will,” Nico snapped in spite of himself, frustrated not just with Will’s pushback but his inability to try and reassure Will, “I didn’t want to put on a show. It would have been embarrassing to bring you upstairs with me, don’t you think?”_

_Will stiffened. “It’s…embarrassing?”_

_Will couldn’t have seen Nico wince, or see the look of panic that crossed Nico’s face at the poor choice of words. He also couldn’t see how Nico’s shock took over for a moment too long, making it seem like Nico was giving a silent confirmation in the darkness of the bedroom._

_“I’m going to go back downstairs,” Will’s tone was calm, but emotionally dull. Nico felt him pull away and his heart caught in his throat. He willed words to leave his mouth as he felt Will’s body pull away, heard the creak in his bed from Will hoisting himself upright._

_“Will, wait, I didn’t mean – ”_

_“Nico, it’s okay. It’s not the place, I get it. I can stay downstairs – I just wanted to see where you went, but I can go back down to the other room.” Will’s lips met Nico’s forehead, but his blonde boyfriend already had his feet on the floor. He began moving away, soft footsteps on the floor of Nico’s room. Will opened the door, which gave a small creak, and Nico could see the outline of the tall, lanky body he had been so close to just moments before. “Goodnight, Nico.”_

_“Goodnight.” Nico whispered, and as the door closed, and he heard Will walk back down the stairs, his bedroom suddenly feeling empty and cold without the sunny boy’s warm presence._

_The morning came quickly after a fitful sleep, on Nico’s end. When he came downstairs, Will and Hazel were laughing over cups of coffee, and even though Will handed Nico his own cup with a smile, Nico noticed that Will was averting his eyes, making it so their fingers didn’t brush when he handed him the cup. Before Nico could have any moment to talk with Will, Frank was at the front door and Hazel was ordering them to pile in her car help shop for party supplies._

_\------_

“Nico? Earth to Nico?” 

The replaying of last night drifted out of Nico’s mind slowly, and he looked up to see Hazel, Nico, and Frank staring at him. Hazel was the one talking to him, waving her hand in front of his face. 

“Sorry, what?” Nico squeaked out, his glances going between the three in front of him, trying not to rest his gaze for too long on Will. 

“I said, do we need anything else for tonight?” Hazel was pointing down at the cart, looking at Nico as if he wasn’t comprehending the English language anymore. “Because this is enough to feed a small army, at this point.” 

“A small army that’ll die from heart attacks, maybe.” Will muttered, sounding like his usual teasing self, but he wasn’t really looking at Nico, either. 

“Eh, I think it’s fine, Hazel. Everyone’s going to work up an appetite after capture-the-flag anyways.” Frank put his arm around Hazel, looking at her adoringly. “And I will personally eat all of those bagel bites if no one wants them.” 

Hazel and Will laughed, but Nico only managed a weak smile. Will was leaning over the cart, surveying the options. “I think we just need some uh…chasers, so let me grab a couple of things. I’ll be right back.” 

Nico watched the back of Will’s yellow haired head disappear down an aisle, and he heard Hazel cough. He looked at his sister and Frank, who were giving Nico concerned looks. 

“Are you two…okay?” Hazel asked. 

“Yeah, you’ve both been acting kind of weird. Didn’t break up already, did you?” Frank gave a smile to indicate he was joking, but it still made Nico’s stomach sink. Making a weak excuse to help Will carry back drinks, Nico left the pair to find his boyfriend. He found Will standing in one of the refrigerated aisles, looking thoughtfully at the different sodas and juices behind the glass doors. 

“Will,” Nico stood alongside Will, as if he too were looking at all the drink options, “Are…are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just not sure what to grab – I actually don’t know what Piper and Leo are bringing for alcohol, so I just texted them.” Will was staring straight ahead, not looking at Nico, and it was beginning to make Nico panic internally. 

“Will, come on – ” 

“It’s your house.” Will said suddenly, folding his arms and shifting his weight to another foot. The sound of Will’s sharp tone had Nico whipping his head to look at Will. 

“Sorry?”

“It’s your house. I can’t be mad at you for being uncomfortable or wanting things a certain way in your own space. I know that – I really do.” Will turned his chin to look at Nico, his blue eyes darkened and sad. “Still, it hurt my feelings.”

Nico’s heart sank, and he reached over to grab Will’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers. “Will…I’m sorry.” 

“I wasn’t going to like…try anything, you know?” Will’s voice was quieter, nearly a whisper. “I know it’s not the same privacy as my cabin, and I…I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong, when we were with your sister and stepmom, holding your hand or sitting with you – ” 

“You _didn’t_ .” Nico squeezed Will’s hand tightly, trying to reason with all the thoughts that were piling up in his head. “Will, I’m not...I can’t...I’m not _embarrassed by you_.” Nico was shaking his head quickly, as if the mere idea of it was too terrible to say out loud. “I felt flustered and like, too aware that I was in my parents’ house. And Seph and Hazel meeting you was nice, but...I just....” 

Will looked like he was listening intently, his solemn look fading into genuine curiosity, which encouraged Nico to continue. “Look, Will, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve...I’ve only dated like, one other person, and it was just a one time coffee thing and I _think_ we may have side-hugged goodbye, but that’s it. Also, I’m pretty sure he was bumming off my Classic Lit notes.” Nico winced at the awkward memory, but pressed on. “I...I don’t know if I’m a _private_ person, or a touchy person, I don’t know any of that stuff. So I think you being in my house was great, until I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore. I’m really sorry - I used the wrong words to describe what I was feeling.” 

Nico looked down, still holding Will’s hand, bracing himself for the blonde to pull away from him. Instead, he was surprised to feel both of Will’s hands grab his own, and he looked up to see Will giving him a sheepish smile.

“You don’t have to be sorry Nico - _I’m_ the one who should be sorry, I feel like an idiot. Of course it might feel weird for me to be affectionate in the home you were a baby in,” He laced his fingers with Nico’s, laughing together after Nico grumbled that he wasn’t a baby, “and I’m sorry I got hurt over it. That wasn’t cool - I should have at least let you explain yourself a little more.”

“Yeah, why _didn’t_ you do that?” Nico gave a mock annoyed tone as he raised his eyebrows at Will, who shook his head with a wince. 

“I’m super new at this too. I’ve been on dates and...I’ve kissed two people, like in my life, but you’re my first boyfriend.” As Will sighed, Nico’s stomach fluttered at the admission. He had assumed Will, the gorgeous, tall blonde boy would have had hundreds of boyfriends before Nico...but no? How had they not covered this in their life-story sharing? 

“Maybe I’m just over-excited, you know, to be with you officially.” Will was continuing, squeezing Nico’s hands in the refreshments aisle. “I can pump the breaks on the affection, if that’s what you really want.” 

It was Nico’s turn again to shake his head, this time more vehemently than the last. “No, don’t stop.” At Will’s surprised stare, Nico blushed. “I...I actually like it. Really. I like the hand holding and the...the PDA, I guess. Maybe just...not sleeping in my childhood bed?” 

Will wrinkled his nose. “Okay. But ' _PDA'_ , Nico? Are we thirteen?”

Nico huffed. “Just last night you were saying I was old.”

“No, I think I was saying you’re my Mr. Darcy.” Will was fully grinning now, and Nico’s heart was ten times lighter at the side, and he continued the bickering. 

“I take offense to that given that Mr. Darcy is a pompous, antisocial, rich asshole.”

“Hm...I’m not seeing a difference yet.”

“ _Will_!”

“Look, we’re going to watch the movie later and you can look me in the eye then and tell me you didn’t swoon once.”

“You’re on, Solace.” 

“Hey! Are you guys ready? Percy’s bumping the game earlier, so we don’t have to play in the dark. We’ve got to wrap up the shopping spree.” Frank’s voice from down the aisle startled Will and Nico, but they kept their hands linked as they wandered with Frank back towards the front of the store. 

Upon arriving to the di Angelo home, Will got a call from Percy, asking him to come back to Camp to help set up for the game. Frank went inside with Hazel to help unload the snacks. After a quick kiss, Will was back in his truck, puttering away from the di Angelo home, and Nico sighed in relief. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, startled to see that he had missed a call from his friend Jason. Seeing that he had an hour before they left for capture-the-flag, Nico hit the green ‘call’ button, realizing that there was a lot to catch up on with his friend…

\---

“So let me get this straight – you’ve met a great guy, and after two nights together you decide to become boyfriends….and then on the third night you kicked him out of bed?”

“Jason,” Nico practically whimpered on the phone, “it’s not like _that_. I told you, I said a dumb thing, but we sorted it out.”

“Well, yeah, ‘embarrassed’ probably wasn’t the _best_ word choice.” Jason hummed thoughtfully. When Nico groaned, he could almost see Jason waving his hands, as he said, “But if you say you solved it, I believe you! I’m just trying to catch up because my belated ‘Merry Christmas’ phone call is turning into a 60-minute episode of all your life updates.”

“Jason,” Nico rolled his eyes, “Will’s the _only_ update. You’re calling me from one of the largest historical libraries on the east coast, you got that scholarship you applied for, and you might be visiting me. Those are all pretty substantial life updates, comparatively speaking.” Jason was working on a rather complex masters’ degree in Ancient Roman history, and he was spending his winter break traveling to gather resources. Jason often made connections from the myths he studied to real life scenarios, no matter how many times Nico teased him for it. 

“Sorry Nico, but new boyfriends trump everything, including me gracing you with my presence on my trip back to the city. Ha! Get it, _Grace_ -ing?” He was laughing as Nico gave a disgusted sigh at the pun, thankful that Jason couldn’t see Nico smile. 

Nico had met Jason Grace on his dorm room floor their first year of college - Jason had been brought in on a sports scholarship but was clearly talented academically as well. They practically became roommates midway through the year when Octavian, Jason’s insufferable roommate, transferred to another university. Even though Nico had his single and preferred it to really sharing a space, he had snagged Octavian’s spare key, and came and went as he pleased, often to play video games with Jason or to edit each other’s papers. He liked Jason, and for whatever reason, Jason seemed to like him.

However, upon discovering that Jason was related to Thalia Grace, Nico almost ditched the blonde lacrosse player right then and there. It was such a small world, for Jason to recognize the town Angel River, when he had asked Nico where he was from one day. One particularly late night in the dorms revealed that Jason and Thalia’s parents divorced when he was very young, and Thalia stayed with their mother while Jason went with his father. Following up with Nico after his initial panic at the revelation, Jaso assured Nico that he and Thalia had a minimal relationship at best, given that his father remarried and traveled a lot, and Jason was shipped off to various boarding schools throughout his school years. Jason hadn’t even been to Angel River - he didn’t have a car, he was incredibly busy juggling his existing commitments, and he knew better than to ask if Nico wanted to find a way to get there for a visit. On the rare occasion that Thalia or their mother _did_ travel into the city to visit Jason, Nico stayed out of sight, making Jason swear not to mention him to Bianca’s old friend. When Hazel visited, Nico only let Jason meet her during their fifth year in school, and that was mostly on accident anyways (Jason had been working on a paper in the coffee shop that Nico and Hazel strode into). Despite not knowing the full story about Bianca’s accident (at least from what Nico could tell), Jason never pushed the subject, and so Nico’s trust deepened bit by bit, until he considered Jason his sole closest friend. Sure, he had to pretend that Jason basically had no connection to Nico’s former hometown, but that was easy enough when you were in college - if one stayed away long enough, that became the bubble that everyone and their stories existed in, and Nico could put limitations on how far that bubble expanded. 

It only took another semester and a grueling group project for Reyna to join their little duo - she was blunt and a little scary, but Nico liked her. Her long dark hair and eyes reminded Nico of his sister, if she had ever made it to her college years, and Reyna seemed to understand Nico on a quieter, deeper level. She had come to college with her fair share of pain and death, and she had not let it break her - more often than not, Nico was looking up to Reyna, hoping he could be just a bit more like her in his studies, and in his grief. Nico liked Reyna and Jason. They were both kind, noble, and loyal to Nico, far more than he ever expected them to be. They were constantly trying to find ways to bring Nico out of his shell, which he did…occasionally. They were the kind of friends who broke the door to his apartment down when he hadn’t surfaced from being sick. 

He hadn’t spoken much to either of them since moving to Angel River – Jason and Reyna each travelled for the winter holiday, for one, and secondly, Nico felt a lot of shame surrounding how they found him, and what horrible things he must have mumbled out in his fevered state. Aside from a few texts here and there, and the comments from his resurrected Instagram, Nico didn’t even know if Jason would think to call him. But, true to his nature, Jason _did_ call Nico, and jumped right in to catching up as if no time had really passed. 

“I’m just saying, I will pay money to see you hold hands with the guy, since you’re so anti-touch...I mean, you didn’t hug me until...what, when we graduated college?”

“I...I’ve hugged you more than that!” Nico sputtered while Jason laughed at him. “Maybe you gave me good reason not to, with your puns and your inability to shower.”

“Excuse me? I _bathe_.”

“Not immediately after lacrosse practice, you didn’t.” Nico wrinkled his nose at the college dorm memories; Jason’s stench really did carry after practice. At one point, their whole floor practically pushed him into the showers the moment he entered the building after practice.

“That was _one_ or _two_ times, and I shower every day now, scout’s honor.” Jason sounded like he was smiling, which made Nico smile too. “Anyway...you sound...good. Lighter, almost. Do I have this Will-guy to thank for that?”

“Yeah...maybe.”

“Well, maybe when I swing by Angel River for a visit, I can meet him and make sure he knows if he ever hurts you, I’ll kill him.”

Nico gave a hollow laugh. “Yeah well, you’re welcome to visit, but I’ll probably have fucked it up by then.” He felt himself freeze up at the sudden dark humor his comment had taken. Did he really believe that? 

“Hey,” Jason’s tone was softer and kind, “don’t talk about my friend that way. He makes a great boyfriend. Not that I know from personal experience, but I’ve got a hunch, you know?” Nico felt a tug in his chest, not realizing how much he missed his talks with Jason. They always provided some sense of stability to Nico’s warped views of reality - he just had to tell himself that Jason was right about this situation too. "This is a good thing, Nico - I know we hate it when people say this, but I hope you can just let yourself enjoy this."

“Yeah, yeah. Remind me how do you have the best relationship advice when you don’t even have a girlfriend yourself?” Nico grumbled, not quite ready to gush out his affection for Jason in a direct way.

Jason chuckled out, “Hell if I know, I’m a catch.”

“You certainly are. It’s a pity you’re straight, as I always have said.”

“You could have made your move after our first round of Mario Kart, freshman year, Nico. You had your chance!” 

“Ah yes, my life’s biggest regret...how could I have let you slip away?” Nico shook his head, then glanced at the time. “Shit, I’ve got to go, but...are you really going to come visit? You know you don’t have to.”

“Of course! I’m a little spotty on when I’ll be done researching here but I imagine it’ll be soon. Honestly, with all the visits Thalia made out to me, I figure I owe her and my mom by staying for a couple nights, you know?” Jason paused, sounding hesitant. “Unless...would that be weird for you? If I came?”

“Oh…” Nico trailed off, surprised that Jason would ask so directly (though he reminded himself that Jason visiting Angel River meant that the small connections Nico was used to ignoring with his friend would finally surge together). He tried to think about it, quickly. “I guess...it feels a little weird, but...I don’t know, I _do_ feel better than I did, and it’s not like I have a monopoly on the place. I mean, you’ve got family here, and I’d be happy to see you...so yeah. Please come if you want to. Don’t let me stop you.”

“Okay man, I just wanted to check.” Jason sounded relieved, which Nico felt glad to provide him with. “Promise you’ll show me all your small hometown haunts? The corn fields and the pastures and the old farm?”

Nico chuckled. “Angel River doesn’t have any of that, Jason.”

“Let me dream.”

“Goodbye, Jason.”

“Bye Nico, and hey - I miss you, man.”

“...You too.” And Nico hung up the phone, feeling like maybe things were going to be alright, for a while, for once in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly not my favorite chapter, but it moves the plot to where we need to go nonetheless (aka Jason lol).


	24. Capture the Flag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh look im not sure why I wrote about capture the flag when action scenes are not my strength, but I hope you like it!

Hazel drove Nico and Frank into camp, which had gained more inches of snow since Nico had been there. Further in, past the main cabins and the dining pavilion, there was a large recreation field that was affectionately referred to as ‘the arena’. Not only was this where the official capture-the-flag games would take place, during the summertime, but this was also where the less official, more dangerous version among the camp staff started. 

Nico couldn’t remember which cohort of counselors (who were local to Angel River) had begun the tradition of playing during the off-season; surely it was when he and his friends were too young to be staff themselves. Nevertheless, more bodies meant more strategy, and local campers were often invited to the mix as well. This was how Nico, Percy, Annabeth, and their other classmates from school would often meet during winters just like this one, spending a good few hours running, screaming, and tackling each other all for what the older counselors called ‘bragging rights’ for the rest of the year. Nico was secretly thrilled that the tradition had been upheld in Piper, Percy, and Annabeth’s oversight; Nico wasn’t as generally competitive as Will was, but when it came to things he loved, like Mythomagic or capture-the-flag, he developed a laser-like determination that more often than not worked in his and his team’s favor. In fact, he had a few scars on his left shin from a previous win that he was particularly proud of - winter players tended to enjoy when they developed scars and injuries from the game, given that not everyone would have them during the summer months, and the counselors would display them in warm weather clothing like they were all part of a secret club.

“Wait a second, why are there more people on the field?” Hazel asked out loud as she parked, gazing out at the arena. Nico looked ahead and saw what looked to be Percy, Annabeth, and Will in the center, along with a few other figures he didn’t initially recognize. Given that Piper and Leo had just pulled up in their own car alongside Hazel’s, Nico wondered who the others were, as they all trekked through the snow to join the group. 

“I can’t believe this,” Hazel was muttering as she tried to avoid particularly deep points of snow (despite their father’s towering stature, neither Nico nor Hazel seemed to have inherited his height), “Percy invited _more_ people? After I specifically told him only the small group was allowed back at our house?”

“Maybe he didn’t mention the after party to them?” Frank offered, trying to be helpful by offering Hazel his arm, which she refused with a huff of, “He better not have!” Hazel had picked up speed, likely to pull Percy aside to confirm who was invited to the di Angelo home after the game and who was not. Frank and Nico shared a laugh.

“I love it when she’s self-righteous,” Frank said to Nico as they neared the group, “Given that it happens so rarely.”

“Oh, I know,” Nico agreed, “I’ve always enjoyed when Hazel releases some of that quiet, simmering rage she claims she doesn’t have.” He looked over at Frank, and pondered. Frank had been one of the football players at their high school, when he transferred to Angel River, and it was pretty obvious from day one that he was smitten with Hazel. They hadn’t officially started dating until Nico had left, which meant his interactions with Frank were limited, but...he liked him. He clearly made Hazel happy, and to make matters better for Nico, Frank had also grown up collecting Mythomagic cards, which put him at the top of Nico’s personal list of his friends based on their taste in hobbies (Leo was at the bottom, but Percy was nearly tied with him). 

“So, you and Hazel have been dating for a while now, yeah?” Nico watched as Frank nodded, then thought to get to the point. “Am I going to be calling you my brother-in-law anytime soon?”

Frank was a big guy, which meant when he tripped in shock over Nico’s question, it made quite the splash of snow. Nico laughed when Frank lifted his face, revealing that it had gone three shades darker than normal. He didn’t think it would throw Frank off _that_ much, given that this wasn’t his first time joking about it, but as he helped Frank up, he realized something.

“Oh my god,” Nico whispered as he tugged at Frank’s arm, having to fully lean back to be able to move his friend up even a little bit, “Don’t tell me you have a ring - oof!” Frank, now upright on two feet, had used his large hands to shove Nico in the snow, which tumbled over him and down the back of his jacket. As Nico yelped and struggled to get up, Frank towered over him, looking slightly menacing. Nico wondered if this was the view most of the opposing football teams got when Frank played. He suppressed a cartoony gulp as Frank reached out his hand to help Nico up.

“Not a word, di Angelo,” Frank said in a hushed, urgent tone, “Or you’re not going to be the flower boy.” He looked frantically at the group ahead of them, all of them staring in curiosity at all the shoving going on. “I haven’t even talked to your dad and stepmom yet, so I’m _not_ talking about this with you, got it?”

“Uh...yeah, got it.” Nico let the topic drop, though his head was swimming with a million thoughts. Could his baby sister really get _married_ ? That seemed crazy - Nico didn’t think they were all that old yet to do such grown-up things. Percy and Annabeth may have been engaged, but the wedding wasn’t anytime soon, and that seemed to make more sense in Nico’s mind anyway, given their growing closeness he had witnessed (painfully, though now somewhat joyfully) through all their years in school. Nico had only just gotten a _boyfriend_ , for goodness’ sake. 

Speaking of, he and Frank had joined the group now, and Will was beaming when he saw Nico. Will had a puffy vest over what looked to be athletic wear, a shiny jacket and black joggers completed with bright orange running shoes ( _What is it with Will and colorful sneakers?_ Nico thought in amusement). He noticed Will moved to go towards Nico, but stopped himself, and a little wrinkle of worry crossed through Nico’s mind. He knew they had only just unwound their misunderstanding a few hours ago, but had he really altered how Will was going to _greet_ him now? Nico felt concerned that the wrong choice of words at 3am could make or break that behavior, and he heard fragments of his conversation with Jason Grace echoing in his head. 

_You seem lighter...This is a good thing...try to enjoy it._

_You better be right, Grace_ , Nico thought to himself. Shutting his mind off, Nico took three steps towards Will, and cupped his boyfriend’s face in his hands, before standing on his tiptoes to give Will a kiss. 

Will made a noise of surprise, but Nico could feel his lips curving into a smile, and he pulled away, still holding Will’s face. “Hi.” He breathed out, grinning. 

“Hey yourself.” Will looked blissfully happy, so much so that it made Nico’s heart ache, like he had injected it with all the sugary products he and Hazel had bought that morning. He barely registered some of the ‘oooh’ noises surrounding them, and he laced his fingers with Will’s, feeling like suddenly, everything was so easy, and a boyfriend wasn’t so scary, after all. 

“I’m sorry, is the goth-kid that just latched onto Will the one and only Nico di Angelo, or am I going crazy?” A familiar voice from Nico’s past interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see Clarisse la Rue giving him an amused smirk. Clarisse was the former rival of Percy, dating all the way from elementary school (something about an attempted toilet swirlie and throwing Clarisse’s prized bike helmet in the dumpster, though Nico had been out sick that week and by then, Percy and Clarisse only had more reasons to hate each other). She had gotten a bit better in high school, when it was discovered by Coach Hedge, the PE teacher and sole sports manager at the school, that being in sports all year round helped tamper some of her displaced rage. She even served as a pretty successful camp counselor with the rest of Nico’s friends, which he imagined was why she was here now. 

Nico glared, but before he could respond, he felt Will’s lanky arm drape across his shoulders. “The _goth-kid_ is my boyfriend, which is all you need to know. You better hope we’re not teamed up against you in this game, because we’ll kick your ass from here to Sunday if so.” 

Nico turned to look at Will with a panic, and he could see his other friends do the same. No one really gave in to Clarisse’s taunts anymore, because they knew she liked to pick fights, fights she usually one, whether it was with her bull-headed trash talk or her fists. Perhaps this was why when Clarisse, who began laughing deeply instead of getting mad, Nico’s wasn’t the only jaw that dropped in shock.

“That I’d _pay_ to see, Nurse.” Clarisse crossed her arms over a University of Arizona sweatshirt, which Nico guessed was where she lived most of the year. Nico felt puzzled by the nickname, and Clarrise's affection towards Will (well...what Clarisse would call affection, that is). 

“While this is all _very charming_ , we have a game to get to?” Percy’s annoyed voice broke the moment, and everyone turned to him expectantly. “And we can’t start dividing into teams until I recite the rules.” 

“Whatever, Jackson, don’t get all type A now.” Clarisse grumbled, but she had kept smiling. Nico was beginning to wonder if Clarisse la Rue smiling was more frightening than his own _father_ smiling - it didn’t really look natural on either of them, that was for sure. 

_How does Will manage to radiate sunshine into everyone he meets?_ Nico pondered this as Will squeezed his hand. He looked around at the group to see who else was there, and he was relieved that of all the potential camp staff veterans, the most tolerable were there - Connor and Travis Stoll were smiling mischievously, looking just as impish as they did during all their pranks while growing up. Katie Gardener, who was much more mellow and sweet (and one of the Stoll brothers had definitely had a crush on her, though Nico could never tell which one), gave a silent wave to Nico, a welcoming grin on her brown, freckled face. Caly, who had not worked at Camp Olympus, but was friends with Katie, had also tagged along, and she was giving Leo an odd look, probably because he was looking at her like a moth gazing adoringly at a flame, just before they got burned. Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf were also in attendance, and Nico guessed that the high-school sweethearts (and homecoming king and queen two years in a row, according to Piper), were still going strong, as they were standing very closely together and only seemed to have eyes for each other. Even Grover had shown up, despite being a staunch pacifist. 

“The rules are as follows...” Percy cleared his throat as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, reading from some text he probably had stored there for years. “Rule number one - the entire forest is considered fair game, though the lake and the back cliffs are boundary lines, ones that should be given several feet of distance so as to minimize injuries.”

“Injuries…?” Will murmured in Nico’s ear worriedly, but Nico hushed him with a small wave.

“Rule number two,” Percy continued, “Any prisoners taken from the opposing team may be restrained, but not bound or gagged.”

“Prisoners? What the hell…?”

“Will, _sshh_.” 

“Rule number three, the flags must be displayed prominently, with no more than two guards - and keep in mind that guards are not allowed to stand within ten yards of the flag, and may only get closer if the flag is in the opposing team’s hand.”

“This sounds crazy. It’s crazy, right?” Will was now looking at Frank, who stood on the other side of Will, and the football player just shook his head, amusement lighting his eyes. 

“Rule number _four_ , ahem,” Percy glared at Will for interrupting, “Maiming is not allowed - looking at you, Clarisse.”

“Can it, Jackson.” Clarisse snipped back. 

“And finally, rule number five - no family members on the same team. Also, should any participants be romantically involved amongst each other, they shall be separated into opposing teams, no exceptions.” Percy put his phone back in his pocket as everyone, save for Will, nodded seriously. 

“I can’t even be on _your team_?” Will hissed, looking at Nico. “What gives?” Nico shrugged, given that that rule was new to him as well. 

“It’s mostly Percy and Annabeth’s fault - they’re too powerful together, so the rule was made sometime after they had been dating in senior year.” Piper was standing behind them, reaching up to ruffle Will’s hair. “Don’t panic, Will! You’ll do great.”

Percy motioned for Hazel to come stand with him, who was giving Percy a little glare (Nico guessed that she had already counted everyone in the group and was going to give Percy an earful later). Percy, unfazed, gestured to him and Hazel, stating, “As Hazel and I are initiators of this winter’s capture-the-flag game, we will be team captains. I will allow Hazel first pick - ”

“Annabeth.” Hazel didn’t even let Percy finish, crossing her arms and looking smug. 

“Actually, Annabeth is automatically on your team, so, that doesn’t count.” Percy was frowning; Annabeth was arguably the most strategic in capture-the-flag, and Nico guessed that Percy missed collaborating with his fiance in past games. “In fact, I will ask that Annabeth and Will go stand with Hazel’s team, and Nico and Frank come to mine, since that’s obvious.” 

Will trudged over to stand by Hazel’s side, but not before he leaned over to whisper in Nico’s ear. “You’re going down for this.” He probably meant to say it menacingly, though Nico just giggled.

“I’m not here to make friends, Will.” He stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend, whose blue eyes glowered at him. Within a matter of moments, the teams were divided evenly. Percy’s team consisted of Nico, Frank, Silena, Travis, Leo, Katie, and Grover, while Hazel had Annabeth, Will, Charles, Connor, Piper, Caly, and Clarisse. All in all, Nico would have said that his team had the upper hand, though Clarisse and Charles were definitely a force, and Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel could make a wily trio. He wasn’t sure how Will would do, knowing him to be athletic, but this definitely seemed out of his depth. The idea of winning capture-the-flag was exciting to Nico, but getting to beat the ultra-competitive Will in the process? Even better. 

“Alright team, let’s move out and plant this flag. We’ve got strategies to discuss.” Percy, ever the natural leader, motioned for his team to go further into the forest, and Nico bounded forward, a little thrill building in his chest.

Planting their flag up on higher ground, on a pile of large rocks in the shape of a fist, Frank and Grover volunteered to guard the flag - Grover was a sharp lookout and Frank provided the muscle. Travis, Katie, and Silena were established as the distractions, given that they were quick on their feet and could get Hazel’s team to chase after them, while Percy, Nico, and Leo were the ones who would actually attempt to find and grab the flag. The three boys were navigating the other side of the forest along the lake shore, and after about half an hour of not running into the opposing team, the boys began chatting. 

“I’m just saying, Nico, it doesn’t make any sense.” Percy was kicking snow out of his boot.

“That’s what _I’m_ saying.” Leo said with an eye roll. 

“You’re both idiots,” Nico grumbled, “and I’m no longer listening to you.”

“Look, maybe I’m an old-fashioned guy, but like, I believe in taking someone out on a _real date_ before they spend the night with me, you know?” Percy was smiling wide enough to show all of his teeth, clearly all too pleased to be teasing Nico again. 

“Again, _shut up_.” Nico nearly tripped on something underneath all the snow, and he was finding it difficult to keep up with his longer-legged friends. 

“Dinner, movie, candles, stargazing, bam!” Leo was counting on his fingers, also in on giving Nico a hard time once the dark haired boy had confirmed that yes, Will Solace was his boyfriend and _no_ , they had not been on a date yet. “I would do it all - especially for the right lady.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Percy groaned. 

“Not this again.”

“Are you talking about Caly? You still like her?” Nico was surprised; Caly seemed a bit out of Leo’s league, but he decided to be kind and hold that opinion back, grateful that the spotlight was off his relationship with Will. Percy was being relentless about that, of all the things they could have caught up on for their rekindling friendship. 

“Uh, if by like, you mean _love_ , then yes.” Leo sounded very sure of himself, though Nico half-expected the mechanic’s eyes to turn into hearts. That was how lovesick Leo looked.

“I’m not _lovesick_ , you twat.” Leo sighed angrily at Nico, who blinked in surprise. _Oops, I said that part out loud_. “Listen, you don’t know Caly like I do - ”

“Excuse me? I _actually_ dated her.” Percy said defensively, but then ducked his head and glanced around, as if he expected Annabeth to rise from the snow to pulverize him. 

“Oh god, Piper told me about that. You must have had a death wish with Annabeth.” Nico was shaking his head, his bangs falling into his eyes. “Can’t believe she agreed to marry you after all that.”

“Uh, excuse me Neeks, but I’m actually quite a catch!” Percy stated indignantly. "People love me!"

“Yeah, who _didn’t_ like Percy Jackson when we were growing up - ow! OH, uh, I mean… _sorry_ !” Leo’s eyes suddenly bugged out, and Percy was shooting him a warning look as he punched Leo’s arm quickly (though not quick enough for Nico to miss it). Nico felt the blood leave his face, which he supposed was better than blushing, but this was only the _second_ time in his life that his crush on Percy was acknowledged to anyone besides Will (and Jason a few years back, purely by accident) - and now Leo had thrown it into the conversation like a grenade, and the three boys were waiting in stillness to see if it was going to explode.

Nico willed his face to turn and look at Leo and Percy, pursing his lips at their nervous faces. Growing up, Nico had felt like the worst thing that could happen to him was something like this, and by his friends’ faces, they were assuming this for Nico as well. He realized, with startling clarity, that he actually had the upper hand in this situation, given that it was Leo’s error and Percy’s mouth was clamped shut. It wasn’t prom night, and Nico wasn’t seeing red with anger or clouded by grief. 

_I can choose how I actually want to respond to this_. Nico held this truth in his mind gingerly, like he was deciding how to release a butterfly without damaging its’ wings. Finally, after what felt like a few seconds for him, but probably longer for Percy and Leo, Nico opened his mouth to reply.

“You’re right Leo, who _didn’t_ ? Though thankfully I came to my senses a long time ago.” Nico shrugged, palms upward and shaking his head as if to say ‘ _Isn’t that just the way?_ ’. 

Percy blinked three times, rapidly. “You…wait...”

“Percy, please - you’re cute, but...you’re not my type.” Nico felt himself smirking now, his insides feeling like a million butterflies were finally lifting away the torch Nico held for Percy all those years ago. “I mean, have you _seen_ my boyfriend?”

“I’m not your type…” Percy repeated, looking lost. “Wait - ”

Leo laughed, and clapped Percy on the back. “Oh my god, Percy, I think Nico’s trying to let you down easy, man.” Leo looked almost _proud_ , which made Nico duck his head and smile. “Yeah, I’d say that’s a major upgrade on your end, _amigo_.” 

“A...a _major upgrade_?! Excuse me,” Percy looked at Leo, then at Nico, then back to Nico again. It seemed to finally dawn on him that he was being insulted. “I feel like I’m getting taken down a few too many pegs here, I mean, I am engaged to Annabeth, after all…”

“You are. And we’re happy for you - I’m happy for you.” Nico chimed in, his smile softening when he saw Percy’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Really, Perce. It’s cool. We’re cool.” Nico was now squirming under Percy's stare; Percy looked like he was caught somewhere between wanting to hug Nico and wanting to fight him - which, given how many years it had been, felt like a huge milestone. 

“Hate to interrupt boys, but we’ve got company.” Leo spoke sharply, pointing in the distance to where the bank met a thicker grove of trees. Clarisse la Rue and Charles Beckendorf were sprinting at them, startlingly fast given their larger frames. When the campers played capture-the-flag, you just tagged someone out if they were on your side of the arena. In the unofficial game, counselors slammed into each other, or took hostages, or simply chased intruders back to their area. Personally, Nico thought the latter was more fun, but he was probably the quickest of the three boys, and like Clarisse, he didn’t mind a good fight now and then. 

“Ah, _shit_ , they paired them together?! Figures.” Percy swore and then broke into a sprint to the side, heading for the forest. “Come on!” Leo and Nico weren’t far behind him. 

He wasn’t sure how long they had been running - Nico could hear Clarisse and Charles laughing loudly as they tore through the snowy forest floor. _What do they feed rugby players at the University of Arizona??_ Nico thought wildly as he heard the sharp cry of Percy being tackled to the ground. Now, it was just him and Leo, and Charles, hot on their heels.

“Avenge me!!” Percy screamed after them, and Nico’s lungs hurt too much from running to laugh. 

“Di Angelo, this way!” Leo made a sharp right turn, and Nico’s feet slid as he narrowly rounded a tree. Charles missed them, and Nico could hear him swearing loudly as the pair disappeared from his sight. Nico was doing alright in following Leo until his friend began scrambling up a tree with lower branches. 

“Leo, what the _hell_ \- ” 

“Less talking, Nico, more climbing!”

Nico wasn’t sure how they managed to get up so quickly - nor how Leo had spotted the best possible tree for getting them 10 feet and then some off the ground. As they panted heavily, not seeing Charles Beckendorf in sight, Leo tapped Nico’s shoulder urgently, and pointed. Peering through the snowy branche, in the tree right next to theirs, the other team’s flag was tied loosely to a branch. 

“Just our luck!” Leo hissed, jostling Nico’s shoulder. 

“Stop moving me!” Nico’s balance was good, but his stomach was doing flip flops from being up high. “I don’t think I can make it.”

“Oh, I definitely can.” Before Nico could protest, Leo was walking on the branch on his hands and feet, looking like a long, wiry monkey. Nico’s heart stopped briefly when Leo _leapt_ onto the neighboring branch, managing to scurry over and untie the enemy flag. 

“You go down first and make sure the coast is clear!” Leo whisper-yelled across the trees. Getting down the tree was proving more difficult than climbing _up_ , and it took Nico a while to find his footing for each step. “Hurry up!” Leo urged.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Nico almost shouted in frustration, but he kept the volume at a minimum. As his foot wiggled in the air, just a couple feet from the ground, Nico wondered why they hadn’t seen any guards yet - 

“Hey, di Angelo.”

_Crap._

Will was standing directly behind Nico, and Nico swung around to face him, instead of just dropping to the ground. He frowned. “Where the hell did you come from?”

Will looked like a cat who had just cornered a mouse. “I have my ways.”

“Correction, _we_ have our ways.” Caly appeared from around a tree, smirking as she stood by Will. Nico dropped down to the ground, feeling the snow cushion his feet. He glanced around. If he could just manage to divert them, maybe they wouldn’t see Leo - 

“Valdez - you coming down with our flag?” Caly called up to the branches. _Damn_. 

“What will you give me if I do?” Leo’s voice sounded light and airy, not at all bothered. Looking up, Nico could only really see the soles of Leo’s sneakers as he crawled along the branches. “How about...a kiss?”

Caly wrinkled her nose. “Not on your life, Leo.”

“Listen Princess, my life would be a terrible thing to waste - once I’m on the other side of the warzone with your flag, you’ll wish you had taken me up on my peace offer.”  
  


Caly scoffed. Nico began inching slowly away from them. 

Will had his hands on his hips as he followed Leo’s sketchy movements up in the tree, looking concerned, though whether it was for Leo’s safety or for the danger of their flag, Nico wasn’t sure. “What makes you think you’ll manage that? You’re cornered.”

“Well, that may be true, though one could say I’ve got friends in _all the right places_ .” Leo emphasized the last phrase, and Nico understood, continuing to step further away. He was a few paces back when he managed to make eye contact with Leo, who was waving a pinecone and tying the flag around it like a lumpy present. Nico _definitely_ understood where this was going - he and Leo had done this trick before. “And, you know, if you just _go long_ , you’ll never know I was even here.” Leo was moving his hand at Nico as he held the flag bundle, ready to throw it. 

“What are you talking about - hey!” Caly cried out as Nico did a hard sprint away from them, keeping his eyes upwards. He saw the flag soaring through the air with the weight of the pinecone, and, with one small leap, he - 

_Got it!_

He made the mistake of stopping, completely surprised and delighted that he had managed to catch it. This gave him a moment to see that Will and Caly were gaining on him. 

_Shit_. And off Nico went. 

Nico sprinted through the forest, eventually making it to the large clearing that merged into the arena. Just a little further and he’d be back with the flag, but then - 

“Not so fast, di Angelo!” Piper and Hazel bursted out of the snow; they must have been hiding for something just like this - the last bit of space on the boundary line. Nico could see, on his team’s side, that Annabeth was doing the same sprint he was doing, his flag clutched tightly in her hands as Frank and Grover were yelling after her. Nico’s legs burned and his lungs felt like they were going to burst, and he felt Piper’s fingertips graze his jacket, but he would _not_ lose, he was so close.

_Almost there, almost there, almost there -_

He and Annabeth were just a few yards from the boundary now. Nico could see the determination in her eyes. 

_Can’t lose, can’t lose, can’t -_

In a split second, Nico saw Annabeth grinning at him, and he felt himself grin back. 

_Made it! Oh shi-_

It was such a close call - he wasn’t actually sure who had crossed first, him or Annabeth. But what Nico _did_ know, is that when Annabeth made a final, hard leap over the boundary line, she was just a _little_ too close to Nico, who was vaulting towards her at the same speed. This meant that her elbow connected with his forehead, hard enough to knock Nico backwards as he let out a surprise grunt. He vaguely heard Annabeth cry out in mutual pain. He felt blood spill down his face, the taste of copper filling his mouth, and then, as stars burst inside of his eyelids, Nico di Angelo blacked out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's fiiiiiine, his boyfriend's a doctor. Sort of.


	25. Only a Flesh Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well today was a dumpster fire, but here’s another chapter for you! I’ve got some writers block that I feel like is making this chapter and the last one not as fun to write...but I’m looking forward to where the story is going. Hope you are too. :)

Head wounds were more dramatic than they looked - Will knew this was because there were so many blood vessels close to the skin, and even a minor cut could cause an alarming amount of blood. Will knew this. Everyone around him did not. 

Will and Caly were only a few paces behind the scene, and Leo arrived moments after (he had hopped down from his roost in the tree faster than Will could comprehend before running after them). He could hear their startled gasps as Nico fell and blood ran down his face. 

“Holy  _ shit _ ! Nico!” Annabeth was lifting herself off the ground, yelling at Nico’s body, which had crumpled in the snow the second her elbow slammed into him. It only took a second for the snow around Nico’s head to be flecked with red.

Will, however, was not startled, or panicked. In fact, his mind went into a different state, all the years working in the ER and pouring over medical texts creating clear steps in his mind, like a spiral staircase becoming straight. Kneeling down at Nico’s side, he put his hands on each side of the boy’s face, identifying the source of the bleeding immediately - Annabeth had slammed into Nico hard enough to cause the skin just above Nico’s eyebrow, where the arch started, to split. Will couldn’t help but be impressed, wondering if there was a zipper on Annabeth’s snow jacket that contributed to the cut. 

“It’s okay, Annabeth, he’s fine,” Will heard himself saying, his voice steady, “You clipped him but it’s just a cut. Here, Leo, start melting some snow on my scarf and help me wipe off his face.”

Annabeth looked incredibly guilty, but she stayed by Nico’s side. Will hadn’t noticed until now that she held one of Nico’s hands in her own. “Did I knock him out?” She asked worriedly. Nico groaned almost as if in response.

“Did...did we win?” Nico had opened his eyes, looking at Leo. His face wasn’t covered in as much blood, though it did have a reddish tint that mixed badly with his olive skin, making Nico look almost ghoulish. Will’s hands were busy applying pressure around the cut on Nico’s forehead, with a medical bandage he found in his jacket pocket. 

“Nico,” Will spoke, “Can you follow my finger for me?” Nico looked at Will, and then followed his swaying finger, his dark brown eyes wide open and alert.  _ Pupils look good _ ,  _ evenly sized _ , Will began going through the familiar checklist. 

“I asked if my team won.” Nico mumbled, and he lifted his hand to bat away Will’s finger, as if bored with the assessment. 

“Do you know who this is?” Will gestured towards Annabeth, who was hovering in Nico’s line of vision beside Will. 

At a quick glance, Nico responded with, “My capture-the-flag rival.” Will pursed his lips in annoyance while Annabeth let out a relieved chuckle. When he continued to glare at Nico, the boy rolled his eyes and said flatly, “Annabeth Chase.” 

Will pulled Leo in closer, asking Nico to identify him as well. “My comrade in arms.” Nico said, and then he supplied Will with “Leo Valdez.” 

“How about me? Do you know who I am?” Will asked as he began prodding around Nico’s head and jaw lightly, checking for any extra bumps or scrapes, finding none. 

Nico grinned proudly. “You, Will Solace, are my significant  _ annoyance _ . Can I sit up now? I want to know who crossed the boundary line first.”

_ No slurred speech _ .  _ Recognizes people. No clumsiness in the arms or legs.  _ Will propped Nico up on his feet, with the help of Annabeth, and Nico used his free hand to push his bangs out of his face. “Ugh, did I get blood in my hair?” 

“Yes, Narcissus, but don’t worry. I’ll clean you up at the infirmary.” _No immediate signs of concussion._ Will was still in medic mode but not sensing any other serious injuries, he felt his good natured humor coming back down to settle in his body. 

“ _ So _ sorry, Nico,” Annabeth was removing herself from Nico’s side, realizing that he could stand on his own. 

“You should only be sorry if you  _ lost _ , Annabeth, which I hope you did.” Nico grunted as he frowned at Will, who was placing the bundle of bandages to his head wound. Nico shooed Will away in favor of his own hand to hold them up. “Will, I’m  _ fine _ , get off - ”

“Fine, fine, just apply even pressure.” Will let his arm circle around Nico’s waist in support, even though his boyfriend was standing on his own just fine. At least Nico didn’t push him away from that. He looked at the rest of the players before them; others were making their way out of the woods and from behind camp buildings, likely hearing all the shouting that occurred from the boundary line. 

“So...Who won?” Annabeth asked, her concern for Nico gone and her desire to win back. Will had always admired Annabeth, but being on her team for a capture-the-flag team revealed her intimidating and commanding side. He shuddered when he thought back to their team strategy meeting a couple of hours ago, when the game started - Will had barely kept up. 

Some uncertain looks were exchanged, and Nico scoffed. “Seriously? No one saw?”

“We were a little distracted by your blow to the head,” Piper chimed in, looking confused, “But I think technically Annabeth crossed first, since you got knocked back?”

“You  _ would _ say that, being on her team!” Leo hip checked his surrogate sister and stuck his tongue out at her. “I think Nico was over first - I saw it.”

“You  _ would _ , Leo.” Caly was rolling her eyes at him.

“Well as long as we’re giving opinions, I’m pretty sure Katie cheated seeing as how she tried to  _ choke me _ -” Connor Stoll was glaring at Katie, who balked and yelled back at him.

“You deserved it for attacking me from behind! What was I supposed to do?”

The group erupted into a cacophony of insults and bold claims, no one able to determine a proper winner. Will looked towards Nico and Annabeth, who looked glum that it was so uncertain whose team had won.  _ God, they really love this game _ , Will thought in awe. He humored the group for a few more minutes, and then raised his voice over the dispute.

“Okay, okay,” Will waved his hand as the group quieted down to look towards him, “So we don’t know who won. I’m going to fix Nico’s face up at the infirmary while you all figure it out. Good game, all.” Will shook his head in amusement as the argument picked up when he and Nico turned to walk away. He could distinctly hear Hazel’s voice in the crowd as well, stating that any party that Percy may have mentioned was officially canceled, despite the groans of disappointment most of the players let out. 

————

“She’s only doing that so not everyone will have to come over, you know,” Nico mused as he fell in step with Will, the snow more even the closer they got to the camp buildings, “I bet you a hundred dollars Hazel will text us soon, because we would be the ones she’d actually  _ want _ to be there.”

“You’re too rich for my blood.” Will chuckled as they made it to the large wooden porch of the infirmary, and he reached in his pockets for keys. “And let’s make sure you’re properly stitched up before you go crazy at a keg party, hm?”

“ _ Will _ , have you met Hazel? Ninety percent of our grocery run was snacks.”

“I thought that was because you were grabbing everything in sight.” Will opened the door and let them inside. The infirmary was a cute space; it consisted of some beds and curtains similar to a hospital wing, but it was cheery and colorful, likely to soothe the nerves of its younger patients. Will got a little skip in his step whenever he went inside the space - it would still be a while until summer, but working with children again excited Will. They always had the best things to say. 

“Well...yeah. I gotta say, my appetite used to be shit, but it’s been coming back lately.” Nico sat dutifully on one of the examining beds that Will motioned him too, patting his hand on the crinkly paper that covered it. Nico was looking around, swinging his long, skinny legs from the table. “I haven’t been here since I was a kid - still looks the same, honestly.”

“Um, I would hope not - I definitely rearranged and restocked things in here.” Will pulled up a stool and some first-aid supplies, which he had arranged on a standing tray. He thought the best step was to clean Nico’s face off, as his cut wasn’t bleeding like it was back in the arena. Standing up, Will lifted Nico’s chin gently with his fingers, and blushed when Nico looked up at him, so trusting and calm. He took a washcloth and began wiping away the worst of the blood on Nico’s cheeks, and the bridge of his nose. 

“Well, something about getting my face scrubbed  _ definitely  _ feels like my childhood,” Nico shifted, rustling the paper he sat on, “Stop wiping so hard, you’ll rub my face off.”

“Hush, you baby,” Will remarked as he tried to work some of the dried blood from Nico’s bangs, “What were you like as a kid? Like, a little kid?”

Nico hummed thoughtfully. “I guess it would depend on who you asked. Bianca used to say I was kind of...a lot? I was pretty excitable about, like, everything, and even though I made friends with Percy and Leo at school pretty quickly, I still was basically Bianca’s shadow.” Nico looked down a bit, though he didn’t look terribly sad, just wistful. “I probably was kind of a pain, never giving her any space.”

Will’s heart expanded at the thought of Nico as a child, imagining a much smaller version of who he was now - tousled black, silky hair, large eyes, always in motion. Nico had a little spark in his eyes that would appear when he was particularly excited or pleased about something, though Will wondered if it was more apparent and constant when he was a child, versus now when Nico would stifle it or do his best to hide it. 

“That’s what little siblings are for,” Will answered, wiping some antibiotic ointment on Nico’s cut with a long q-tip, “I remember our house was only a few blocks away from school, and by the time I was like, five or six, I’d follow Lee and Michael there every day, and would meet them outside when school got out. They were usually so pissed about it, but I was relentless.” Will reached for a couple of small, oddly-shaped bandages. “Good news - it’s not a deep cut, and you’ve stopped bleeding, so no stitches for you!”

”Right, and you don’t see any signs of a concussion, so that’s good.”

Will froze, confused. “How do you know I didn’t?”

“Will...” Nico was laughing, but then his lips made a small ‘oh’ when he saw Will’s face. “Did you...you know you were like, talking to yourself out in the area when you were looking at me, right?”

”I...was?”

”Yeah! All this stuff about my pupil size, my memory...you really didn’t know you were doing that?”

Will’s hand flew to his mouth in surprise. “I...I didn’t know I was saying that all out loud! I could have sworn...”

Nico extended his arm and pulled Will’s hand back with his long fingers. “Don’t be embarrassed...you were in the zone. It makes sense. Besides, I think it’s pretty attractive.”

”R-really?” Will felt a flutter in his chest when Nico gave him a small smile.

”Yeah - you were all serious and take-charge. It looks good on you. You’re uh...you’re good at this stuff” As he gestured around the infirmary, Nico averted Will’s stare, perhaps feeling awkward from speaking more openly than he meant to. “A-anyway, what’s this about no stitches? Am I just getting a bandaid?” He pointed to the bandages in Will’s other hand, and the medic in him kicked back into gear.

“Oh! Yes. Just butterfly steri-strips...there.” Will placed them firmly on a Nico’s cut, satisfied with how they kept the would nice and tight. “And, of course, a kiss to make it all better.” Will leaned down, his lips slowly moving towards Nico’s forehead.

“ _ Do not _ kiss my owie, Will, you are not my mother.” Nico grabbed Will’s face and frowned, which Will thought was a particularly lovely sight. “Kiss me like I’m your _boyfriend_.” There was a little hitch in Nico’s voice at this, almost like a plea. Will felt like he could rise to the ceiling from delight at the noise. Feeling _wanted_ by Nico di Angelo was the best experience in the world, he decided (Austin street tacos were a close second). 

“You  _ are _ my boyfriend.” Will declared happily, and he swooped in to connect his lips with Nico’s, his hands settling on the boy's waist. He peppered Nico’s face with kisses, and wrapped him in a hug. Nico burrowed his face in the crook of Will’s neck with a happy sigh, connecting his hands behind Will’s back. “You’re my boyfriend even though you’re all gross and covered in sweat and blood, with a head wound.” Will stated this as the closer proximity to Nico meant he could actually get a whiff of all the bad smells the raven-haired boy had on him. Since it was Nico, Will didn’t actually care, and he figured Nico knew this too. 

Sure enough, Nico was shaking his head in disagreement, and Will felt his lips smiling against his neck. “Eh, whatever, you love me.” Nico said as he nuzzled Will. Then he froze. Actually, so did Will - and he wasn’t sure whose body stiffened first, because Will’s arms immediately felt mechanical and awkward, and Nico sounded like he was holding his breath. Will also wasn’t sure who pulled away first, to look at the other with wide, almost frightened eyes.

“Oh…?” Will said, because he was intelligent like that. His heart was suddenly thumping very loudly in his chest

“Could you...uh…” Nico still held on to Will, though he looked mortified. “Could...C-could we go back like 30 seconds in time when I wasn’t throwing words around like an idiot? Could you pretend I just gave you some witty retort that...that wasn’t...what I actually said?”

Will just stared at Nico. He felt like  _ lovelovelove _ was echoing in the walls of his head - where did his brain go? He blinked. He knew he had to reply but his tongue felt like lead. 

“Will,” Nico whined, and his fingers dug into Will’s jacket, “Please?”

Will felt badly that Nico was clearly so uncomfortable with his choice of words. To be fair, this didn’t seem to be Nico’s day with word choices. Will couldn’t stand being the reason for Nico ducking his head down, as he did when he was particularly sad or embarrassed. Trying to bring the moment back to the flirtatious affection they were building, Will threw Nico a life raft in the sea of the strange waters their conversation had ended up in. 

“You’re right Nico, it  _ would  _ be fun to go back to my cabin so you can make out with me. I’m so glad that’s what you replied to my insult with.” Will said this in an even tone, resisting a laugh when Nico looked up at him sharply, his cheeks red.

“Will, I -” It seemed to click in Nico’s brain that Will was trying to give him a break, and then, slowly, Nico grinned mischievously. “Great. So glad you agree, even though I’m...what was it? Gross? Sweaty and bloody with a head wound?”

“Well...I suppose the head wound might turn into a scar, which can often be very attractive.” Will grabbed both of Nico’s hands and pulled him off the table and to his feet. He tugged one more time so that his lips could brush against Nico’s ear, whispering even though they were the only two people in the infirmary. “As for being all messy, that’s nothing a warm shower can’t fix.”

He gave Nico’s cheek a quick kiss, then began heading towards the door. When Nico caught up with him outside, his face the color of a ripe strawberry, Will laughed at him during the entire walk back to his cabin. For once, Nico couldn’t seem to think of a comeback, which made it all the more satisfying. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaa who am I ? What are these jokes ? Sorry. Lol


	26. A Short, Fluffy Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is very clear on what this is! Enjoy!

Nico eventually _did_ end up showering at Will’s place, but by himself, and certainly _not_ in the suggestive way Will had whispered it in his ear back at the infirmary. His clothes were mostly unscatched from his surprise injury, though he didn’t turn down Will’s offer of a clean shirt and sweatshirt. While it was Will’s turn to rinse off, Nico was resting on the couch, lifting the hem of the sweatshirt up and over his nose, enjoying the smell. 

“Are you _smelling_ that?” Will’s voice broke out and startled Nico from his thoughts, and he dropped the sweatshirt below his chin. He hadn’t heard Will come out of the bathroom.

“N-No!” Nico turned to defend himself, but he felt the words die in his throat. Will had exited the bathroom wearing sweatpants, but had not bothered to put a shirt on, using a towel to dry his hair. Nico had certainly gotten his hands on Will’s upper body during their cuddling and kissing, but he hadn’t actually _seen_ Will with this little clothing, in the light of day. Nico’s brain started going into overdrive, as if it was writing the final paragraph of an essay five minutes before the deadline.

Will had freckles all over his arms, and they even dotted down the top of his chest, just below his clavicle. He was tan, which still didn’t make sense to Nico, but a little bit paler on the torso, where his winter coats and sweaters usually kept the sun away. He was athletic, but not like all the muscular bodies Nico would see online and in magazines. Will was _soft_. Whenever Nico would catch a glance at himself in the mirror, he felt like he was made up of all straight angles, pointed and sharp. Not Will, though. His shoulders sloped, he had a long torso that ended in a slight tummy, and his hips curved out just so. 

Nico thought Will looked absolutely perfect. That was his first coherent thought, and then Will threw the towel at his face.

“ _Geez_ , you gonna buy me dinner first, before you go ogling at me like that?” Will smirked, but Nico saw the tips of his ears turning red. 

“Not when you throw your dirty towel at me, no.” Nico threw it back at Will, who caught it with ease. “So, this is the tattoo you mentioned?”

“Ha, yeah.” Will sauntered over to sit across from Nico on the couch, and tapped on the black outline of a sun on his chest, right over where his heart was. It was made up of a small circle and stylized rays that stretched out in unique patterns. “This is eighteen-year-old Will’s amazing decision.” 

Nico reached out and his fingertips hovered just above the tattoo. He laid them down when Will gave him a nod. “Eighteen, huh?”

“Don’t judge.”

“I’m not - I had a septum piercing all through undergrad.” Nico admitted.

“No way!”

“No, I did! My friend Jason convinced me to take it out when we both got into grad school.” Nico smiled as Will began running his fingers through his black hair.

“Can’t believe I’m dating such a scene kid,” Will tugged the lock of hair that hung in front of Nico’s ear affectionately, “You owe me pictures.” 

“We’ll see…” Nico leaned in to kiss Will, done talking about their bodies and now much more interested in connecting them. 

\----

Hazel indeed texted Will to inform him that the party was still a go, but this time with the smaller ‘Angel Squad’ (as Percy still liked to call it). Will hadn’t gotten in nearly as much time with Nico in his cabin as he would have liked, so he left the text unanswered, but when Nico’s phone started to ring, they both groaned in disappointment from the couch. By this point, Will was hovering over Nico as he laid him down on the couch cushions, and now that Nico had muttered, “We have to stop,” Will had flopped on top of Nico’s body with a frustrated sigh. Nico reached down on the floor where his cellphone had fallen, assuring his sister that they were indeed on their way back to the di Angelo household. His nimble fingers worked over Will’s head as he spoke, pulling tangles out of the still damp, shaggy curls. 

Will couldn’t get enough of kissing Nico. He felt like he was learning new things every time. He could run his fingers through Nico’s hair and it would make the smaller boy involuntarily smile. Kissing Nico on the neck elicited small sighs and moans that Will found downright _delicious_ to his ears. Nico could make Will’s heart beat harder and send chills down his spine just by tugging on his hair, right at the nape of his neck. He loved that their kissing had revved up to involve tongues, and touching, and closeness. He thought Nico tasted like rain, cool and earthy and dreamy. He might have even said this out loud at one point, drunk from all the ways their mouths could intersect, all the places they were grabbing with their hands or trying to kiss. 

And when Nico would pause in their dalliances, stopping his caressing hands to move his wandering lips to peck the freckle by Will’s lip, murmuring how much he _liked_ it, Will felt like he could die happy right then and there. 

He did _not_ feel like it was time to get up and leave, then and there, however, and he began bracing himself when Nico ended his call with Hazel. 

“Okay, time to get up, Will.” Nico said, as if it was so easy. 

“ _No_.” Will whined, burrowing his hands between Nico’s back and the couch, so he could cling to him tighter. The paler boy was wiggling underneath him, trying to break away. “We don’t have to go.”

“Uh, yes, we _absolutely_ have to - it’s at my house.”

“But it’s _Hazel’s_ party…” Will didn’t actually want to cancel going, but he was enjoying being alone with Nico so much that he couldn’t help protesting. With a sigh, Nico pulled his arms out of Will’s hold and grabbed his face, forcing Will to look at him.

“You’re so stubborn.” Nico glared at Will.

“Yeah, whatever, you _love_ me.” Will said with a laugh, and his body shook with more giggles when he watched Nico realize that he was mocking him for the earlier slip-up. 

“Will Solace, you are downright _mean_ ,” But Nico didn’t sound very mad at all, pulling Will in for a series of kisses that became deeper and deeper, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“I can think of a few things, if you stay in with me tonight.” Will gave his best devilish grin, though it was hard when Nico’s lips landed on his, an intensity building in them that really could make or break them leaving the cabin. 

But, Nico sighed defeatedly, and he shook his head at Will, still holding his face, thumbs running over his cheeks. “Nope, we gotta go, Sunshine. And you need to put on a damn _shirt_.”

Will beamed at the nickname, and poked Nico’s nose as he asked, “Does that mean you’re my Moonbeam?” He ducked his head to bring his face to Nico’s as his boyfriend laughed. 

“Ugh, maybe...hey, listen,” Nico looked suddenly serious now, even though Will still had him pinned to the couch, “I...I wanted to ask you something.” 

“Oh, okay.” 

“Will you…” Nico glanced nervously away from Will, then back at him. “W-will you stay with me tonight? When the party’s over?”

Will blinked, feeling confused. “I mean…” Tired of propping himself up, he lowered himself on Nico’s chest, resting his chin under folded elbows so he could look right at Nico. “I _can_ , but I thought you didn’t feel good about that? Which is totally fine, by the way.” He added quickly. 

Nico sighed. “I know, I know, but...I talked to Hazel after the grocery store run. She could tell something was up, and...well....” Nico blushed, looking uncomfortable. “Let’s just say that’s how I found out that she and Frank do more sleepovers than meets the eye.” 

“Really?” Will was surprised. It wasn’t that Hazel and Frank didn’t seem romantic, but they had a glowy, innocent kindness about them - one that made Will think of courting and waiting to share a bed until after marriage. “But doesn’t Frank like...arrive at the house in the morning most of the time?”

“Apparently he comes from around the back and parks his car a few blocks away...it was a little TMI. I can’t say anything else about it! It’s too weird!” Nico looked genuinely disturbed, which made Will laugh - he didn’t grow up with sisters, let alone a younger one, so he couldn’t totally relate. “I think Hazel was trying to emphasize that like, it’s cool, and I have nothing to be worried about, and she’s not judging…” 

Will smiled; he liked Hazel, and he felt an odd sense of pride for her - she certainly had more going on than meets the eye. And Will was a big fan of anyone that wanted him and Nico to be together more, he decided. 

“Anyway, once I got...over all _those_ details, I just...I don’t know, I got to thinking,” Nico sighed like this was taking a lot of effort, “I-I...I like you _with me_ . All of the time. Okay, maybe not _all_ the time, I want you to have a life and I need to be alone sometimes, but...I don’t know. Ever since we spent the night together it’s...I just like it.” Nico furrowed his brow in a stubborn expression, his dark eyebrows contrasting from his paler skin. “But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to, I know I’m being confusing - _mmph!_ ”

Will had lurched forward to kiss Nico, but he had overexerted and ended up basically muffling Nico’s words with his mouth. Not super romantic, though Will tried his best to soften the contact as he pulled away. “God, di Angelo, _shut up_. Of course I’ll stay with you.” 

“R-Really?” Nico sounded surprised, which Will didn't think he had to be. 

“Wild horses couldn't stop me. Let me grab a couple things though. I was underprepared last night and your guest room was _not_ well-equipped.”

"I'll be sure to alert the staff." Nico said flatly, as Will rose to grab a shirt and some of his toiletries. 

"Okay, _that_ makes you sound like a stuffy rich asshole, _Mr. Darcy_..." He teased, narrowly missing Nico swiping at the back of his head in retaliation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I never want to stop writing about Will and Nico being soft and cute eeeee


	27. Who Doesn't Love a Party Montage?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me! I live! Sorry this took a while....

**_[Hazel to: Frank, Nico, Will, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo]_ **

_Hi everyone! Party at mine and Nico’s house is still on, but JUST FOR THIS GROUP, Percy >:( Come over at eight. _

_Also, I’ve decided it’s a pajama party. You can all sleep over! Plan accordingly._

**_[Annabeth to: Hazel, Frank, Nico, Will, Percy, Piper, Leo]_ **

_*thumbs up emoji*_

**_[Frank to: Hazel, Nico, Will, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo]_ **

_*thumbs up emoji*_

**_[Leo to: Hazel, Frank, Nico, Will, Percy, Annabeth, Piper]_ **

_HELLLLL YESSSS HAZEL! :D nico can i have pjs i have none_

**_[Percy renamed the group chat to: ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_Srs dude?_

_Also Hazel, FYI, i only mentioned the party to like, Connor and Travis._

**_[Hazel to: ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_That’s the equivalent of telling our entire graduating class, Percy!!!_

**_[Leo to: ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_i usually sleep in the nude ;)_

_can someone invite caly???! pleaaaase._

**_[Frank to: ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_Omg Leo._

**_[Hazel to: ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_No Leo! Just our friend group! Not anyone who one of us is pining over._

**_[Piper renamed the group chat to: ‘Friends’]_ **

_Someone please lend Leo pajamas. He is regrettably telling the truth about how he sleeps. I know from experience *facepalm emoji*_

_Also Percy, we’re not naming the group Angel Squad._

**_[Leo to: ‘Friends’]_ **

_*crying emoji* *laughing emoji* *explosion emoji*_

**_[Percy renamed the group chat to ‘The Angel Squad’]_ **

_Piper don’t be bitter bc you didn’t make varsity cheer ;P_

**_[Piper renamed the group chat to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_I will kill you._

**_[Will to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_Hey sry this is late we r on our way ! nico is cleared for partying he has a note from his doctor_

_ps im his doctor ;)_

_wait piper were u a cheerleader??? details when i get there_

**_[Piper to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_*angry face emoji* Percy see what you did? *knife emoji*_

**_[Annabeth to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_I’m muting this chat._

**_[Frank to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_Same._

**_[Nico to: ‘We H8 Percy Jackson Club’]_ **

_Same. Also Leo - stay out of my room._

\----

Entering into the di Angelo home was overstimulating, to say the least. As Nico and Will came inside, they realized quickly that everyone was gathered in the large room that contained the open kitchen, an area with couches and the TV that Nico watched _Friday Night Lights_ on, and a smaller dining table (not to be confused with the bigger one in the dining _room_ \- if Nico thought too much about how large his parents’ house really was, he would die of embarrassment). All the lights were on, the room was filled with heat from a roaring fireplace, and there were peals of laughter ringing out above music. The horde of snacks were laid out on the giant kitchen island, most of them already open. A variety of drinks were scattered around as well, and Hazel had even had the good sense to buy red solo cups (“Then it’s like a _real_ house party,” she had said in the grocery store as Nico laughed at her). Scanning the room, Nico saw Frank and Piper sitting on the couch, engaged in some sort of discussion that involved lots of hand gestures and excited faces. 

“ _Will_!” Piper yelled when she saw Will and Nico in the entryway of the large room, waving excitedly. “Come here! Frank is refusing to let me take him shopping for new jeans! You’re stylish, help me out.” 

“Well, _I_ feel insulted.” Nico knit his eyebrows together in frustration, while Will laughed. “Why isn’t she calling me over too?”

“Piper and I have talked about fashion before.” Will explained, and Nico raised his eyebrows.

“I’m standing _right next to you_ and she called _you_ the stylish one!” Nico exclaimed, and then Will was quiet for a moment. Too long of a moment. Nico saw Will’s blue eyes take in Nico’s rather gray and black ensemble. “Will…” Nico said dangerously. 

“I didn’t say anything.”

“That’s the problem.” 

“I gotta go - have you seen the jeans Frank owns? This is practically an emergency.” With a quick peck to Nico’s cheek, Will practically skipped away. Nico was midway through rolling his eyes when he spotted what was _actually_ happening at the table.

“ _Hazel_ , that nail polish costs $20 a bottle!” Nico balked at his sister, who was sitting with Leo, Annabeth, and Percy. She was holding Leo’s hand as she applied vivid black nail polish to his nails (hers were already done, as were Annabeth’s). 

“Oh calm down, _I’ll_ buy you another one, Neeks,” Percy stuck his arm out to block Nico from swiping the bottle back, “But I’m next! Don’t ruin this for me.” 

Nico groaned, pressing his fingers to his eyelids (which, he knew, were chipped and in need of a polish themselves). “You’re all _so_ annoying. I can’t believe you went into my room.” 

“It was just for the polish, Nico! I was going on about how nice it was, and then Annabeth wanted to try it.” Hazel explained as she concentrated on Leo’s pinky nail. “I love how it goes on, and it _never_ chips.”

“That’s why it’s so expensive.” Nico grumbled. 

“It’s nicer than any polish _I’ve_ used. Hazel was kind enough to put it on me.” Annabeth chirped, holding a cup of an unknown concoction to her smiling lips. “Then the boys wanted in on the fun.” 

“Yeah Nico, don’t hate us for fighting gender norms.” Leo stuck his tongue out at Nico, and wiggled his freshly-painted nails delightedly. He switched spots with Percy at the table, and admired Hazel’s work from every angle. As he stood, however, something else caught Nico’s eye. 

“Is... _is that my sweatshirt?_ ” Nico pointed at the faded black hoodie Leo wore, the unmistakable skeletal parade leader, in a marching pose, printed on the front. He knew it was his; it was all too easy to launch himself back into that teenage memory, jumping in the mosh pit with Bianca and Percy (the only ones willing to take him to the concert, as a special birthday gift). He remembered how soft the hoodie was, when it was brand new in his hands, in his lap during the long drive home. He wore it almost every day for a year - Seph would have to sneak in to try and wash it intermittently. Nico didn’t even know it still existed; it must have been shoved in the back of the closet of his bedroom years ago (when he, admittedly, found that branching out to other tops looked better than the sweatshirt-every-day look). 

Leo pouted, though it didn’t remove the amused glint from his brown eyes. “I was _cold._ I didn’t have pajamas...” 

“Take that _off_ ” Nico moved behind Leo to grab his shoulders, pulling the sweatshirt over the boy’s face. Leo squawked in protest and laid his hands flat on the table, refusing to budge, yelling that Nico was going to smudge his fresh manicure. Leo kept making it impossible for Nico to yank the hoodie off, and he grunted in annoyance. “Dammit Leo! This is basically a collector’s item.”

“Oh my god, _Nico_ , that ratty thing was buried under all of your old clothes, just let him wear it.” Hazel quipped, though there was no actual annoyance in her voice. Annabeth was laughing as Nico tried in vain to get Leo to move, who was managing to root himself to his seat at the table. With a defeated sigh, Nico gave up, leaning onto Leo from behind, muttering something about killing him.

“Oh shut up my little gothic prince, you missed me.” Leo reached up and daintily slapped Nico’s cheek with his palm, keeping his fingers stretched away. 

“I _may_ have.” Nico lingered a bit longer, until he realized that leaning into Leo this long could be misconstrued for a hug, revealing his actual affection for his friend, which he preferred to be concealed by sarcasm and light violence. He decided to pull back, but not before swiftly punching the brunette in the shoulder. 

“ _Ow, Hazel_ ! Tell your _brother_ to stop hitting me!” 

“Like he’ll stop.” Percy and Hazel said simultaneously, and they grinned at each other like old friends who had seen the scene play out hundreds of times before. 

\----

“Okay,” Frank was standing on a dining chair, addressing the group as they leaned on the wall furthest from the entry to the open kitchen and living room, “the game is simple. The floor is lava, and the safe zone is the opposite end of the house. You - yes, Percy?”

“Could you clarify _where_ on the other side of the house? This place is _huge._ ”

“You’ve _been_ here before, dude.” Leo was balancing on a dining chair, tilting it so that he could practice balancing. “Like, for years.”

“Doesn’t mean he won’t stumble into my dad’s study, if he doesn’t know to avoid it.” Nico said from his spot. He was leaning against Will, who was resting against the wall. They were both balanced on a sofa cushion they had moved to the floor. 

“That was _one_ time, Neeks.” Percy huffed.

“Well - Dad _was_ on a Skype call with China.” Nico said to Will, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “And Percy wasn’t wearing pants.” 

“I was _eight!_ ” Percy practically shrieked, and Annabeth rolled her eyes from the coffee table she was perched on.

“What kinds of sick childhood games did you play in here?” Will murmured in Nico’s ear. He was resting his head on Nico’s shoulder, his tan arms wrapped around him from behind. He smiled at how Nico shivered when his lips brushed his ear. 

“Anyway…” Frank was trying to bring the attention back to him, “Opposite end of the house from here is going to be...the more formal sitting room.”

“The one with the chandelier?” Leo asked.

“No, that’s the entryway - the sitting room is the one with floral wallpaper.” Annabeth offered.

“Oh my god, you live in a _McMansion_.” Will whispered teasingly in Nico’s ear. The pale boy tried to elbow him in the stomach in vain. Will just tightened his grip.

Frank was beginning to raise his voice, more out of impatience than anger. “Listen up! If you touch the floor, you’re frozen for two minutes. Pillows, furniture, and surfaces are fair game to walk on. You can go through other rooms.” Hazel coughed loudly, and Frank gave a small blush. “Oh, er - right, I’ve been informed that the hutch in the dining room is off limits for climbing, as are any vases you see on the floor.”

“What the heck is a _hutch_?” Percy mumbled under his breath. Leo looked equally confused. Nico and Hazel groaned in embarrassment.

“Okay! First one there picks the drink for the loser!” Frank clapped his hands and faced in the direction they all were aiming for. 

“You know that there’s no boyfriends in battle, right, Sunshine?” Nico turned towards Will’s face, smirking. “You’re going down. I’ve got the _home-field advantage_.” When Will gave him a quizzical look, Nico shrugged. “I learned that from _Friday Night Lights_.”

“Don’t use your sports metaphors on me, I’ll swoon.” Will kissed the side of Nico’s head as Frank began counting down from ten. “I’ll see you on the other side - which I'll get to first, by the way.” 

“3...2...1...Ready, go!”

\----

“This is completely unfair.” Nico was crossing his arms as the group stood around the kitchen island, all panting and giggling from a rather intense round of ‘the floor is lava’. Will was beaming as he fiddled with the various alcohol and chaser options that were laid before him. 

“I won, and you lost, so actually, it’s not unfair at all, Shadow Boy.” Will wandered over to the bar nook of the kitchen, grabbing grenadine and triple sec.

“I only _lost_ because Piper pushed me right at the beginning!” Nico huffed while Piper had the gall to look apologetic. 

“It was an _accident_!” She claimed. 

“The _second_ and _third_ time?” Nico countered, which made her go quiet and take a large bite out of a nearby cookie. “I was robbed of a win.”

“Don’t be such a sore loser, Nico.” Frank was refreshing his own drink along with the others, while Will worked on whatever Nico would be forced to drink.

“Eh, go easy on him,” Annabeth was popping a few gummy bears into her mouth, “It’s the second game he’s lost today.”

Nico felt his jaw drop as he made eye contact with Annabeth, who’s smile only got bigger. “Y-you...they said _you_ won _capture-the-flag?_! That’s impossible.” He looked around the room, and everybody looked away from him awkwardly. “Seriously, guys?!”

“Sorry man, even I had to admit that Annabeth got over the line first with that jump.” Leo shook his head, as if it was truly the saddest news he had heard in a long time. “Wicked jump though, Annabeth.” He gave Annabeth a trademark mischievous grin, which she returned with a shrug. _Traitor!_ Nico thought. 

“Ah, thanks, no big deal. All in a day’s work.” She stared at Nico proudly while she said this, and Nico felt like he was going to internally combust, with all the sputtering he was making and the redness he felt growing on his face.

“You...that...I can’t believe...ugh, when I…”

“Okay!” Will finished the last of his stirring, and put a _very_ tall glass in front of Nico. “Drink up, loser! It’ll take the sting of defeat away.” 

Nico and the others stared at the bright pink liquid. “What is this?” Nico asked as he lifted the glass, staring dubiously at the red cherry and orange slice floating at the top.

“It’s a Texas Hurricane!” Will sounded somewhere between a mixture of pride and disappointment that no one knew what the drink was. “It’s like...rum, vodka, gin, more rum, juice, uh - ”

“Holy shit.” Percy had leaned over to snag the glass out of Nico’s hands, and took a sip for himself. “This is _so_ dangerous. It just tastes like punch.” 

“Yeah, it’ll hit hard, especially if you’re drinking on an empty stomach.” Will nudged Nico with his hip. “Grab some snacks to have with that, okay?”

Taking the cup back from Percy, Nico glared at Will. “I’m not going to let you enjoy this, Solace. I have a _pretty_ high tolerance, and this pink drink won’t stop me.” With that, Nico tilted the glass back and, in an _impressive_ few seconds, if he did say so himself, downed the entire drink. Will smirked at him. 

“We’ll see, Lord of Darkness, we’ll see. Here, eat this poptart, though, seriously.”

”Hmmph. Whatever you say, _Doctor.”_ Nico smirked through his mouthful of pop tart while he watched Will’s ears redden. 

\---

“Pipes? What are you doing out here?” Will was wandering in search of a bathroom, and somehow found _another_ living room on the second level of the house. It looked to be a much smaller TV room, with cushy loveseats, hanging plants, and french-style doors that led to a balcony. Will felt the chill in the air before he saw that the doors were open, and he found Piper leaning against the railing outside, looking up at the stars that were twinkling back at them from a clear night sky. He came to stand by her, resting his arms on the railing as she did. 

“Oh! Just...taking in the view for a bit. Wanted some air and I remembered this room.” Piper was holding a red cup of some unknown dark liquid, swirling it absentmindedly. “I used to _love_ this room. Nico’s stepmom would set us up here for movie nights and I think it was meant to keep us out of her hair, but we always had a good time. It’s honestly been a while since I’ve been here.” She sighed. Will noticed that her eyes looked a bit sad and red-rimmed, and he shifted so his shoulder was touching hers.

“You okay? You look...a little down.” 

Piper gave a hollow laugh, and then let out a defeated sort of noise that seemed to weigh her shoulders down. “I just...I don’t know. I felt a little lonely, I guess.” 

“So you came to be by yourself?”

“Not lonely, like, in _general_ .” Piper took another sip of her drink, and Will wondered if she was tipsy. She was steady on her feet, but still had a sway to her that reminded him of when they had drank together before. “It’s like...Percy and Annabeth, they were always a thing, that was a given. So were Hazel and Frank. But Leo has been crushing on Caly for so long, and now you and Nico…” Her words sounded watery, pained. “I guess I’m just wondering when it’s going to be _my_ turn, you know?”

“Oh…” Will felt like any reassurance he could give died on his lips. He realized he had done the same move as Piper so many times, smiling through the pain of his friends finding a special person. Will was often telling himself he just had to be happy for them until the end of the party, the wedding, or the conversation, before he could duck away and feel sorry for his situation. Anything that was coming to his mind now to say to Piper were platitudes that he knew never made _him_ feel any better when they were spoken over him. _It’ll happen when you least expect it. Don’t give up! Enjoy your single years because they’ll be gone before you know it._

 _  
_Will waited for a few minutes while Piper composed herself, sniffling as she scrubbed her hand against her cheeks. “Do you...would you like me to leave you alone? It’s okay to...take a moment, you know.”

“No, no, that’s okay, Will, I like having you here.” Piper gave Will a smile that made his heart hurt. She was beautiful on the outside, with her brown skin, dark choppy hair and her strong nose and jawline. But there was depth to her as well - Leo didn’t refer to her as ‘Beauty Queen’ for looks alone. Piper radiated all the good things about love and friendship that Will could think of; she could read a room in less than a minute, she always seemed to know when Will needed someone to listen to him or reassure him, and she managed to find one thing she liked about everyone she met. Will wished he could give her the same presence she had always offered to him in his short months of knowing her. 

“I...I wish I knew what to say. But all I can think is that I know how you’re feeling right now, and I’m mad there isn’t anyone in this town I can think of to set you up with...I wish I could make it all better.” Will figured the best he could do was admit that he was lacking any real encouragement. At his response, however, Piper seemed amused. 

“Right? I’m a catch, I know that. Really.” Her eyes looked more certain now, and she tipped her head to rest on Will’s shoulder. “There’s just...yeah, I just haven’t really _felt_ much for anyone, in a while.” She gave a snort of laughter and said, “The only person was Annabeth, for a little while.”

Will pulled away to look at her in surprise. This was news to him - both who the crush was on and the gender. Certain that his confusion was written plainly on his face, Piper grinned, and shrugged. 

“Can you blame me?” Piper said. “She’s gorgeous, and like, the only smart person in this stupid town.” 

“I didn’t…” Will trailed off, and Piper filled in the gap of silence that hung between them.

“It was junior high. And unlike Nico and Percy, Annabeth and I had the intelligence to talk about it.” Piper had drained her drink, tapping her nails on the cup absentmindedly. “I think it was like...there were just so few people, and the older we got, the less appeal most of them had to me, romantically. And Annabeth was one of my best friends, so I just had this crush for a bit, because she was great and she was there...but we both agreed it wasn’t going anywhere and that our friendship was more important. Well, that and Annabeth is _tragically straight_.” She gave Will a goofy look, as if to let him know it was okay to laugh at this. 

Will shook his head, and couldn’t help chuckling. “I mean, if Annabeth wouldn’t turn for _you_ , then she’s crazy.” 

“Nah,” Piper gripped the railing as she tipped her head back, stretching as she took in the expanse of the sky, “She was in love with Percy from day one. I could see that a mile away. And again, it was a smaller infatuation, when it got right down to it. Now she’s more like a sister to me than anything else.” Piper shrugged. “I guess I just thought...I’m attracted to who I’m attracted to, and I like that about myself - but I was kind of hoping by this point in time, that would have helped my chances in the dating pool, you know?”

Will sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, Piper.” He nudged her so she was back to facing him, a far away look in her eyes. “For what it’s worth, I _do_ think they’re out there, but I wish they’d hurry up and get here. No one should keep you waiting this long.” 

Piper then flung herself at Will, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Thanks, Will.” She murmured from where her face rested on his shoulder. Will hugged her back, trying to transfer all of his hope and confidence in Piper into her own skin. 

“Can I ask...why didn’t you ever talk to Nico about it? When you were younger, I mean.” Will felt curious that crushes amongst the same friend group hadn’t come up more. _Either this group is really good at keeping secrets or they’re super avoidant. No middle ground,_ he thought to himself.

Piper seemed to be thinking hard, perhaps she hadn’t considered this before. “You know...I really didn’t hold a candle for Annabeth anymore, after we cleared the air. I know people say that and don’t mean it, but I really was okay - talking it out with her helped alleviate all the feelings I was having, and got me to see that she was my best friend first. But I think what Nico felt for Percy always felt... _bigger_. I didn’t think I could relate, and I certainly didn’t think I could make him let it go.” 

Will felt a little insecurity gnawing at the pit of his stomach. “Big, huh?” He said out loud, and looked down at his feet. He hadn’t really felt insecure when Nico had mentioned his crush on Percy, though hearing about it from someone who witnessed it for years made Will wonder just how big Percy loomed in his new boyfriend’s head. Will felt himself suddenly wondering if he would measure up to expectations. 

Piper, ever the pseudo-therapist, seemed to catch wind of Will’s change in tone and posture. “Will,” she said calmly, “I just mean that Nico’s feelings... _all_ of them, not just related to Percy, were big. He used to be a pretty excitable kid, you know. And that was the same with Percy, he’s looked up to him since kindergarten...but as we grew up, that...I don’t know, that _big-ness_ became something more tense. And sad. I always felt like I’d be walking into a lion’s den if I talked to Nico about it - he didn’t even come out to me until later in high school, you know. I think he always knew on some level that it was a crush going nowhere, but he also didn’t let it go for a while. By the time I was sensing that he did move on, well…” Piper crossed her arms, looking off into the distance. “Bianca died. And he left.”

“Hm.” Will couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say. He felt stuck between whispers of self-doubt and the resounding truth in Piper’s words. 

“It’s different with you, you know.” Piper murmured, and Will snapped his head up to look at her in surprise. “It’s...you’re like, a highlighter. You see and enjoy and pour love into all the things that make Nico who he is, and you highlight them for everyone else to enjoy, too. And I think you’re making him like what you highlight, too. With Percy, Nico was always a little in awe, and a little withdrawn. But with you, he shines. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a while.” She smiled warmly, and reached out to take Will’s hand in her own. “You’ve helped bring him back to us, you know. And you both seem _so_ happy.” She whispered this, and Will saw that her eyes were a little glazed over. He blinked, not realizing that Piper’s speech had the same effect on his own eyes. 

“Geez, Piper.” Will wiped his eyes with a free hand, and tried to give her an annoyed look. “I’m supposed to be helping _you_ feel better. Stop telling me all this.” 

That got a genuine laugh out of Piper. “Whatever, Will. I told you - you just hadn’t met him yet.” She squeezed his hand affectionately. “But now you have, and if that’s what I have coming too, then it’s probably going to be worth the wait.” 

Will gave her another hug. “It will be - but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel crummy about it. Or talk to me when you do.” 

Piper’s arms tightened around Will for one more hug, before she stepped back; inhaling the cool air seemed to have rejuvenated her, a hopeful light in her eyes. “I know. Come on, let’s get back. If it’s at all possible, I think it’s getting _louder_ downstairs.” 

\---

Nico was lying on the carpet of the living room with Leo, who had demanded the same pink drink from Will shortly after Nico finished his. Now they were laying down, waiting for the room to stop spinning, and for their giggling to subside (though whenever one would calm down, the other would break, and the cycle would start all over again). Everyone else had been overseeing from the couch, Will sneaking an occasional pretzel or sip of water into Nico’s mouth. Piper had gotten up at some point, and then Will went to find a bathroom. Now Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, and Percy were left to monitor the significantly drunker boys on the floor, though they were all various levels of tipsy themselves by that point.

“N-no, wait, seriously. Guys, _seriously_ . Listen.” Leo had pushed himself off the floor into a sitting position, and Nico tried to get up himself, using the coffee table as a brace. He just ended up laying his upper body on the coffee table. _Stupid Will and his stupid neon death drinks_. He laughed, which made Leo laugh, and they both fought to catch their breath.

“Everyone, _listen_.” Leo said again, his urgent tone back in full force. 

“Leo,” Hazel whined, “You’ve been saying that for the past fifteen minutes.” 

“I have?”

“Yes, and every time you get to telling us whatever it is, you start laughing again.” Frank had his head in his hands. Maybe it really _had_ been fifteen minutes. For Nico, it felt like time was skipping between hitting the rapid rewind and fast forward buttons, patternless and fuzzy. 

“Can I have some pretzels, please?” Nico asked from the coffee table, and now Annabeth was groaning. 

“Nico - you ate them all, remember?”

“Impossible.” Nico muttered. _Annabeth is probably just hoarding them because she cheats at capture-the-_

“I do _not!”_ Annabeth leaned over and smacked Nico on the head, which startled him.

“Oh my god, I’m saying the in-my-head-parts out loud.” Nico moaned, covering his head while the others laughed at him. 

“Okay, okay. Guys. _Listen._ I remember now.” Leo stated again, and the four friends from the couch groaned. “I need...I need a way to ask Caly out.” Leo flopped back down on his back loudly. “There. Now help me.”

“I thought you had asked her out?” Frank asked.

“No, he hasn’t, really - they’ve only done the flirty-banter stuff, right Leo?” Hazel remarked, and Leo nodded in confirmation. Nico always forgot that Leo and Hazel had a close friendship; in the beginning of moving in with the di Angelos, Nico and Bianca took Hazel to hang out with their friends, and Leo was always uncharacteristically shy and fumbling around Hazel’s kindness to him. It was almost as if he didn’t know how to interact with someone who wasn’t going to be sarcastic with him off the bat. They got to the banter and teasing eventually, but Nico knew that they did the long coffeeshop chats first. That was Hazel’s way - she loved you first, and then she gave you a hard time when you knew she wasn’t going anywhere. 

_Meanwhile, when I first met Leo, I broke his toy pirate ship and he told me they don’t come from trees, which they definitely do._ Nico chuckled out loud at the memory, not registering the confused looks that the others gave him.

“Can’t you just ask her out the normal way? Like to a movie or to dinner or something?” Percy asked, and then shut his mouth. Annabeth didn’t look stern yet, but she was watching Percy carefully. 

Leo was shaking his head from the floor. “It has to be _better_ than that.”

“What’s better...than that?” Frank sounded confused, and Nico also felt confused. He felt confused that Will wasn’t here to cuddle him, which was now all that Nico wanted to do. _Where is Will…?_

“I don’t know! I just...look, I know you guys give me a hard time about this, but I _really_ like this girl! She’s smart, she keeps up with my humor...did you know she’s also really _nerdy_ ? Like she joined my robotics club when we were all in high school, when she first transferred here!” Leo was moaning from the floor, sounding more heartsick the more details about Caly that he shared. “She was _so good_ at it! And then she got scooped up by all those Angel River chicks and like, didn’t come around anymore. I still have the bot she never finished.” 

“Wow, Leo…” Hazel sounded shocked. “That’s...none of that had to do with her looks, at all.” 

“Yeah, it sounds like you really like her.” Annabeth offered. In the blur of his vision, Nico could see that everyone looked a little surprised. He supposed he was surprised too - Leo fell hard for any beautiful girl he met. Nico had figured Caly was just a big flame of his yet to go out. 

Leo sat up, and crawled to lean on the coffee table next to Nico. He was frowning. “Of _course_ I like her! God, I’ve been telling you guys that for like, ever. I know I’m not like, stacked, or special, but...that’s why asking her out has to _be_ special, you know? If it’s just me, she’s never going to give me a chance.” 

There was a pause, and then Nico found himself pushing through his haze to ask, “Wait...Leo, do you...actually think that? About yourself?”

“Of course I do.” Leo said glumly, resting his cheek on the coffee table. His usual elfish-features looked squished and sad. “I’m not...I don’t have a lot _going_ for me, you know? I say the wrong thing, like a lot, and I’m always like...dirty, from working on cars and junk...Caly is _special_. I want her to know that I know that, otherwise…” He trailed off, though whether it was from being too drunk to remember to complete the sentence or heartbreak, it was unclear.

Percy gave a small cough. “Leo, you, uh...I didn’t know you felt that way. You know that’s...that’s not how we see you, right man?”

“I guess I figured you just liked having someone around when you had car troubles.” Leo muttered, giving an unconvincing smile. Nico scoffed, and lifted himself off the table at Leo’s weak joke.

“Hey, hey, listen, _listen_. You listen now.” Nico had grabbed Leo’s shoulders and made the impish boy face him. “Don’t do that. That humor-as-a-defense-mechanism shit. If you feel bad about yourself, then...then…” Nico looked around desperately at his friends on the couch. “We can tell you that you’re great.”

Leo snorted. “What are you, a therapist, di Angelo?”

“No,” Nico stated simply, “but I see one.” When he caught Leo’s eyes giving off a fraction of surprise, Nico jumped on it. “And I take meds. I...I don’t like myself a lot of the time either but...those things help. They help me see they aren’t true. Maybe you just need our help to tell _you_ the truth.”

Leo was fidgeting to get away from Nico’s grasp. He wasn’t one for displays of emotion, Nico knew that, but something in his alcohol-addled brain meant that Nico thought this was the most important thing Leo needed to hear, and so he tightened his grip on Leo’s shoulders.

“You’re a good person, Leo Valdez. You hear me?” Nico leaned in and grabbed Leo’s face. “You’re like...the _only_ person I’d want on my capture-the-flag team. Even though you betrayed me today by letting Annabeth win.”

”Damn, I forgot how much I loved drunk Nico.” Percy was grinning ear to ear. The group all laughed at that, Leo included. The brunette still looked wildly uncomfortable at the emotional shift in the room, and was pulling his face out of Nico’s hands, but he looked more at ease.

Soon, everyone was pitching in various ideas of how he could ask Caly out, with the explicit agreement from Leo that he was doing it _only_ because he liked Caly so much, and _not_ because he felt like he had anything to prove (“You do realize that Piper and I will kick her ass if she actually thinks she’s too good for you, right?” Annabeth asked, her gray eyes flashing into war-mode, which seemed to lift Leo’s spirits to new heights). 

“I think you should ask her to your New Year’s Eve party!” Hazel offered, which everyone enthusiastically agreed with. Piper and Leo _always_ threw a New Year’s Eve party, and they only got bigger and better each year (Nico knew that he and Hazel came from wealth, but Piper and Leo were like... _celebrity_ rich. That’s what he and Hazel would say to reassure themselves, anyways). 

“But...that’s just like, a party. Everyone’s always invited.” Leo looked doubtful. 

“Unless you make it so you have to ask people out to it...” Nico chimed in. He had stood up at one point in the brainstorm, and Frank was behind him, ready to catch him as he paced (well, _wobbled_ ) back and forth. “Oh!” Nico wished Frank had a lightbulb he could hold over Nico’s head when the epiphany came. “What if...you make it _prom-themed_?”

Everyone stared at Nico in shock, but he was excited now, waving his hands. He vaguely felt Frank’s hands steady his back. “I’m serious! People like...make a big deal out of prom, right? Promposals? I saw all the youtube videos - I watched them all night when I couldn’t sleep...” Nico could hear the lazy slur in his tongue mess with his speech, and he was vaguely away that he was oversharing, but he didn’t care - he was _helping,_ and that felt great. “You can like, ask her out to prom, and if she says yes then great and if she says no then...then Annabeth gets to kill her, or whatever.”

He looked around excitedly, practically popping his hands out and saying, “Ta-da!”. It took him a few blinks to realize that everyone was staring at him in horror. “What? What’s everyone looking at?” Nico cupped his hand over his mouth, and asked in a stage whisper, “Is Frank staring at my butt?”

“ _What_? I’m not doing that!” Frank sprung his hands away from Nico, who was not aware just how much he was relying on the larger boy’s support. He fell backwards, and Frank caught him under the armpits before he hit the floor. 

“Why’s everyone so sad about prom?” Nico mumbled, frowning. “It’s a great idea.”

“Er, yeah, it is Nico, but…” Hazel was looking at her brother worriedly. “Wouldn’t that be…?”

“What?” Now Nico felt dumb. He was tired. Where was Will? _I don’t want to walk anymore, I wonder if Frank can hold me like a baby. He’s big enough. He could help me find Will._

“I’ll help you find Will, but I’m not carrying you, Nico.” Frank plopped Nico softly on the ground, and Nico realized he was saying his thoughts out loud again. _Dammit_...

“Nico, can you think of _any_ reason that a prom theme might be...kind of weird, for our group?” Percy’s green eyes looked a bit frightened, and his cheeks were flushed. Nico wracked his brain but couldn’t think of anything.

“Oh my _gooooddd_ ,” Leo burst out, and he clutched his sides as he laughed, “Because Nico punched Percy at _our_ prom!! Hahahahaha _classic Nico_ -”

“You can punch _me_ at the prom party, and then we’d be even?” Nico offered to Percy’s shocked face. He was over fighting off his laugher, and chuckled through his next reassurance. “Percy, I don’t care anymore! And I never got to go to prom, don’t you want me to go?” He pouted, though he felt himself let out a snort of laughter. 

“Oh my god.” Percy was shaking his head, and gave Annabeth a strange smile. “Sure, Nico, if you want your prom, go for it.” 

“Woohoo!” Nico cheered from the floor, which he was lying on again. _How did I get here?_

\---

Will and Piper returned to a dance party. Leo bounced over to Piper and grabbed her hands, spinning her onto the dance floor (which appeared to just be the open space created when you pushed all the couches and the coffee table to the walls). Piper followed Leo’s lead with a laugh, but Will stayed rooted to the spot, captivated by a new, delightful vision - _Nico_ was _dancing_. And he looked like he was enjoying it. Most of his moves consisted of jumping up and down, but he had a small wiggle to his hips, swaying arms, and a serene expression on his face. Will’s heart leapt when Nico’s dark eyes met his own. 

“Hey Will,” Nico said in a singsong voice, his words a little mumbled together (from the Texas Hurricane, Will assumed), “Dance with me?”

“R-really?” Will squeaked, and Nico laughed. 

“Of course, you dork - who _else_ would I want to dance with?” He wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, and brought his cheek up to Will’s freckled one, still bopping to the upbeat music. Will grinned so hard it hurt his cheeks. 

\---

“Alright Death Boy, sleep tight.”

“Will, wait - ”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just...look at me, for a second?”

“Okay…”

“...”

“...Nico? You in there?”

“You’re beautiful.”

“... _Oh_. Th-thank you.”

“Goodnight, Sunshine.”

“G-goodnight.”

Late at night, everyone retreating to bed in their respective spaces of the di Angelo home, Nico felt like he was nestled in a cloud, and Will’s arms were his anchor, grounding him in a way he never thought he would find in his lifetime.

\----

 _He called me beautiful_ …

Will was dumbfounded. And of course, Nico had gone unconscious before Will could give him a proper reply, or even a, _You too_. 

Will stared at his boyfriend, who was snoring lightly, crashing from the classic combination of a few strong drinks and an overdose of sugar. Nico’s eyelashes seemed so long, up close, and Will brushed his black bangs out of the way to get a better look. He swallowed, trying to think of what to say. Nothing really felt adequate. Stroking Nico’s cheek with his thumb, Will just felt wholly _in_ adequate, suddenly. 

“I know you can’t hear me,” Will whispered, his voice a thin strand in the darkness of Nico’s room, “but I think you’re beautiful, too, Nico.” He readjusted, pulling Nico to drape over his chest. The raven-haired boy sighed contentedly and snuggled in. 

Will had been overall accepting of his strong feelings for Nico. He knew it would feel amazing to have them reciprocated, to be free to _act_ on them with words, and touch, and presence. Still, there was a projection of what he could imagine for the future, and then there was the reality of getting to live it. Being with Nico was like the moment right before the rollercoaster dropped, or like putting the final puzzle piece to make a picture complete. Will knew they came from complicated pasts, but the idea of being with Nico felt so _uncomplicated_. Will had learned in therapy to accept more gray areas in his life - but Nico was a black and white decision, one that Will was unwavering on. There was his time before, without Nico, and now there would be a time with Nico. No questions, no uncertainty.

These feelings had been scaring Will all week, the more real they became. But they also were the feelings that made him show up to Nico’s house with stolen flowers and a ‘be-my-boyfriend’ speech. The feelings that Annabeth normalized and Piper affirmed. The feelings that Nico, above all of Will’s wildest dreams, reciprocated in full. 

Will murmured this all quietly, in the darkness, stroking Nico’s inky black hair through his fingers. Even though these were all the right descriptions, somehow it felt like he was rambling to get to a point. His limbs felt heavy, and Nico was warm in his arms. Will was realizing, as his eyelids drooped further down, what the point he was getting to really, truly, _actually_ was:

_I think I’m falling in love with you._

This was Will’s final in-his-head thought, the only out-loud part being, “I think…”, before he breathed in deeply, drifting off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Parties! Friendship! Feelings!
> 
> Also I don't ship pipabeth (yet?!) but I love Piper and her sexuality so I wanted to give a nod to it somehow :') Plus who WOULDN'T have a crush on Annabeth, no matter who you normally like?? She's a boss. 
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments! Means so much :')


	28. When You Know, You Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...this chapter lives up to it's M rating. Just a heads up. All is consensual (and soft and cute still) :)

Really, the clothes came off because Nico woke up warm - too warm. Somehow he had fallen asleep entangled in Will and a few too many blankets. Waking himself up in the middle of the night, Nico lamented about the longer layers he was wearing and the stuffy blankets, shifting to rectify it somehow, waking Will up in the process. Will, though he was practically a walking, talking, human-heater, fussed when Nico pushed the blankets away, claiming he would get cold. “It’s still dark outside,” Will protested, as he yanked the covers back up to his chin, “It’ll get cold without these.”

“Will, I’m _sweating_ . Did you put _another_ blanket on the bed before we went to sleep?” Nico was fumbling his hands around in the dark, only somewhat aware that it must have been sometime in the middle of the night. Only a thin layer of light helped Nico make out shapes, outlines, and Will’s body. “You're too warm also - I can’t sleep like this.”

Will muffled a noise of exasperation in his pillow, and sat up quickly. “Here.” It took Nico a second to see that Will was peeling off his own sweatshirt, and sweats, exposing far more skin than Nico had ever seen him in. He barely had a moment to properly react, before he felt Will’s hands grabbing Nico’s shirt and tugging upwards. “Off.” Will instructed.

“ _Will!_ ” Nico hissed, but the shirt came off successfully, and Will’s large hands were moving towards Nico’s sweatpants. “What are you doing? Cut it out!”

“Not trying to get in your pants,” Will mumbled, sounding half asleep yet fully irritated, “Trying to cool you down.” He was sitting back on his knees now, pushing Nico’s shoulder down to the bed and yanking his pants off in one swift motion. Nico was mortified at how exciting that motion felt, and tried to focus instead on the cool air on his skin. 

“ _There_.” Will settled back into the bed, tugging Nico down towards him and reaching his arms around Nico’s smaller torso. Nico obliged, his mind fuzzy. “Better?” Will asked sleepily.

“Mhmm...” was all Nico could manage. Will was spooning him now, and though he had to admit this helped the overheating problem, Nico was facing a _different_ kind of warmth now, one that made his heart beat loudly in his ears and made the air seem thin and tense. He wondered what Will was thinking. “Um, Will?”

“Ughhhh,” Will buried his face in the crook of Nico’s neck, “ _What now_?”

Will sounded extremely bothered, and it actually helped Nico snap out of his nervousness. He chuckled lightly, and reached behind him to pat Will on the head. “Nothing, you grump.” Will grabbed Nico’s hand and locked it back to Nico’s side, cradling his body to his to keep it still. 

“ _Sleep._ ” Will ordered, and Nico finally obliged. 

\----

Upon waking up, in the early morning, he guessed, the light that filled Nico’s bedroom suddenly revealed just how _incredibly_ compromising of a position he and Will were in. Eyes snapping open, Nico could feel Will’s skin touching his, basically from head-to-toe if you didn’t count boxers. 

_Oh my god, Will Solace is in my bed, and we are only in our underwear._ Nico’s face flamed and his hands covered his eyes at the realization. His movement seemed to wake Will, and he felt the blonde give a happy sigh as he squeezed Nico tighter. 

“ _Goodmorningbaby_.” That was what Nico heard leave Will’s lips, which moved against the back of his neck in a lazy way. Will couldn't have been fully conscious, he couldn't have been doing that move and nickname on purpose - even so, it sent a tickling sensation all the way down Nico’s spine, which in turn - 

_Nope. Don’t think downwards. Only upwards._ Nico stared straight at the wall, and felt a small whine escape him. 

“Are you okay - _oh_ .” Will must have opened his eyes and realized their state of undress, because now he sounded genuinely surprised, and _very_ awake. “Er, did...did you take my clothes off last night?” He stammered.

“ _Me?!_ ” Nico turned around to face Will, unable to hide his shock. Now, lying alongside his taller boyfriend, only their legs touched, knocking together almost playfully. “ _You_ did this. I woke up sweating and this was your solution. _I_ just wanted the covers off.” He huffed, sparing Will a light frown. "I drank _more_ than you, how do you not remember yanking my clothes off in the middle of the night, dummy?"

“Oh...yeah, that sounds...familiar.” But Will sounded like his mind was far away. His eyes were going up and down Nico’s frame, his pupils so blown that the blue irises seemed darker, stormier. Cautiously, Will reached his hand over, and began tracing his fingers along Nico’s arm, and his side, and his thigh. Nico’s breath caught in his throat at the contact, and he wanted to duck his head, hide from Will’s intense gaze, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. 

“Did you know you called me beautiful last night?” Will’s fingers rested on Nico’s sternum, and he shivered at the contact. 

“I remember…” Nico reached over and placed his hand on Will’s chest, now staring at the contrast of his lighter fingers on golden skin. His mind was racing.

_Logically speaking, Nico had known Will for...a month? They had been boyfriends for even less time. Nico knew that logic could tell him all sorts of rules about timing and pacing and...well, love. It could, and had, told him he should be scared as hell for wanting Will. Yet, here he was, wanting Will anyway. It wasn’t logic that was drawing him further and further into this, so it had to be instinct. And instinct couldn’t be all bad, could it? Surely not when it led to Will. Will felt like home - through the fear and the doubt and the grief that Nico felt colored over his entire life, Will was a guiding star to safety._

“Will…” Nico looked into the blue eyes questioningly. “Can I…?”

“Yes.” Will answered, and their hands reached for each other, their bodies closing the gap between them. The first kiss was hard, bruising. Nico pulled back in surprise; he hadn't meant to come on so strongly, but Will just pulled him back down. “Please.” Will whispered hoarsely, and so, Nico came back to him, while his mind floated above his body, above their shared whispers of encouragement. 

_Logically speaking, Nico knew Will wasn’t the only star guiding him back home. It would be a discredit to Hazel, to Seph, to Reyna, and Jason to say otherwise, for they dotted the sky Nico could see when he pondered his life so far. His therapist had made it possible to count those stars, to count them until the panic attacks would subside, until the positive, affirming voice in Nico’s head would grow a little bit stronger than the negative one. The doctors who took him to the hospital, who pumped him full of fluids and antibiotics despite his pleas for them to give up, they made those conversations possible. Yet here was Will, practically glowing in front of Nico, guiding him to places he had never been. And that couldn't be bad, could it?_

Will’s hands were on Nico’s back. He kissed him desperately, their bodies curving into each other. _Will, Will, Will_. Will was the brightest star. Following him meant that Nico could count himself cherished in more ways than friendship and family. Nico’s hands felt fumbly and uncertain, but he let himself get lost in the depth of Will’s kiss, and the friction of their moving bodies. He bit Will’s lower lip, motivated by something deep inside his chest that was almost animalistic, and he melted when Will let out a moan. 

_A little quote came to Nico, from when he was pouring over texts for his thesis, as he sought what some of the earliest pioneers of thought would say about living and dying. It went like this:_

_‘Three things cannot be long hidden…’_

“Are you...can I...I’m not sure what to do, here...” Nico breathed out as their hands explored, breaching new territory. 

“Neither do I,” Will said, without any hint of shame or reproach, his lips pressing to Nico’s forehead, his eyelids, “But I’m just happy it’s with _you_.” Nico’s senses were on fire with every touch Will gave him. The need was becoming stronger than his doubts, and Will’s permission tipped him over the edge.

_‘The sun…’_

Will’s face pulled back, with just a touch of shyness and curiosity. It made Nico’s body grow warm, and cling tighter to Will’s hair as Will swooped back down to kiss Nico’s neck. He wasn’t sure whose hands actually wandered first - but he would always remember the sensation of shutting his eyes tightly, his nails digging into Will’s soft skin. He would always remember how good it sounded when Will gasped, how much it made Nico want to crawl into Will’s skin and never leave. 

_‘The moon…’_

It didn’t last long, and Nico assumed it was far from perfect - he had...'researched' enough, to know that much. So why did he feel so giddy? Why was Will beaming so hard, making the room brighter than the sun filtering in through the window did? Logically, Nico knew this part, whoever it would be with, would be scary. He knew the odds were high that he’d mess up, or feel badly, or worse, that he’d be laughed at. He didn’t imagine that instead, he’d be sharing breathy, kind laughter with Will, as they clung to each other without abandon. 

_‘...and the truth.’_

“Will…” Nico said. He held Will’s head close to his, their foreheads touching as their shallow, rapid breathing evened out. Their lips were so close together that it was like they were sharing the air, their words being murmured into the other’s mouth.

“Nico…” Will said back. 

“I love you.” Nico closed his eyes; he was unable to stop himself. His emotions were like water and the dam had broken. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw that Will's were overflowing, his expression almost serene. 

"I love you too." Will whispered, and he pressed Nico's lips to his, and Nico felt inexplicably, inarguably, _happy,_ as he kissed Will back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this didn't feel rushed...Fluffy holiday movies move fast anyway, though, riiiiight?
> 
> The quote is from Buddha - it just fit too well. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! Believe it or not, we're nearing the end of this story! I won't put the chapter end date yet because I might break up a few scenes.


	29. New Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know - “new faces”, so close to the end?? You’ll see :-)

The rest of the morning passed almost magically, in Will’s mind. When he and Nico finally, _finally_ pulled themselves out of bed and into more decent ensembles, they found that they were still among the early risers of the sleepover group - it was 11:30am and only Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, and Leo were up and about. They were working on an elaborate looking brunch; Leo and Frank were arguing over the stove over pans of pancakes and bacon. 

“You’ll _burn it_!” Frank was snapping at Leo, as the shorter brunette cranked up the burner, the flames licking upwards past the frying pan. 

“Stop _yelling_ and let me work!” Leo snapped, wincing like words were hurting his head. Will felt glad that he didn’t feel nearly as hungover as Leo looked. Hazel and Annabeth were light drinkers, so they looked like their normally cute, polished selves. Frank looked a little weary around the eyes, though given he was so much bigger than everyone else in the group, Will figured it took a lot to really take him down. Then again, Nico was far shorter and skinnier than Frank, but all the olive-skinned boy complained about was a low, dull headache, now that he and Will were up and about. 

“Ah, Will, will you help me? I’m trying to make _one_ healthy thing here.” Annabeth was chopping fruit at one of the counters, motioning for Will to come over. Will obeyed, but not before letting his fingers graze across Nico’s lower back. 

_IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou_ , Nico’s smile seemed to communicate. After they said it the first time, Nico and Will wasted no time taking much of the morning to say it again and again, never losing meaning despite the repetition. Will hoped his eyes were giving off the same sentiment. Nico reached out to give Will’s fingers a squeeze as they parted ways in the kitchen. The blonde felt himself blushing when he thought about Nico’s hands, and the... _newer_ territory they had only explored just a few hours ago. Twice, in fact, given that the ‘I love you’s’ jumpstarted Will’s energy, and his blush deepened. 

“So….Not everyone is up yet?” Nico asked the group, walking over to where Hazel was setting out some mugs beside a pot of coffee. He locked eyes with Will, clearly noticing the blushing, and his grin turned into something vaguely suggestive, raising an eyebrow at Will. 

Will decided he was _very_ interested in cutting strawberries (no matter that his face currently matched them a little _too_ well). 

“Percy is drooling and off in dreamland,” Annabeth explained, as she methodically chopped a banana into little circles. Will began tossing pieces of oranges into a large bowl. “And it sounds like Piper is not a morning person.” She looked towards Leo, who was nodding in confirmation.

“Especially when she drinks,” Leo explained, still pushing Frank away from the growing mess on the stove, “She’s out cold. Still kicks in her sleep though.” 

“You share a bed?” Frank had relented to pancake-duty, picking up a spatula and a small bowl of chocolate chips. 

“Dude, she’s like, my sister,” Leo snorted, “Who else was going to hold her hair back when she got sick?” He shuddered. “And mine, when I vomited two hours later…”

“Ooh, that bad huh?” Hazel winced as she held a steaming cup of coffee in both hands. Will wondered if she was the one who chose Christmas music, which was filling the kitchen underneath the conversation - Hazel was lamenting about the holidays ending last night, and perhaps was trying to stretch the cheer out as long as she could. 

“She’ll rally.” Leo said assuredly. “Nothing like pancakes and bacon to soak up all the regrets of the night before...Speaking of, I better wake up the Beauty Queen now. This stuff is done.” He dished piles of bacon onto a large plate. Annabeth exited with Leo, claiming responsibility to wake Percy - the pair poured coffee for their respective bed buddies and disappeared into the rest of the house. 

Will continued to chop fruit, and Nico was wandering around now, taking in the mess of pillows, food wrappers, and cups littered around the space, tapping his fingers on his coffee cup methodically. “They’ll _help_ with cleaning, right?” Will could overhear Nico muttering to his sister, who only laughed. 

After a few moments, Percy stumbled into the space, bleary-eyed with his dark hair stuck to his head on one side. He clutched the coffee like a lifeline, as he wandered to one of the stools that lined the kitchen island. 

“Wow Jackson, are you alive in there?” Will quipped, deciding to pour a glass of water to place by Percy, who groaned loudly.

“No talking.” Percy whimpered, and Will relented, choosing instead to stop Nico from unwrapping a poptart. “Nico, stop. You should at least have fruit first.” Will snatched the treat away, and Nico let out a noise of protest. Leo wandered back in the kitchen, looking considerably more tired than when he had exited.

“The Beauty Queen did _not_ want to be awakened, though she claims she is coming.” Leo rubbed the back of his head, almost as if Piper had struck him there. _She probably did,_ Will thought to himself. “Let’s start without her majesty.” He grumbled. 

As the group began moving the small feast to the dining table was interrupted by the chime of the doorbell. Hazel and Nico looked at each other questioningly - clearly, neither of them were expecting visitors. 

“I’ll go.” Nico offered, and he wandered to the front door in the entryway of the manor, wondering who it could be. Shortly after, Will heard Nico let out a very un-Nico-like shriek. Even though it crossed Will’s mind that Nico’s yelling sounded _happy,_ he still sprang to action, rushing to the front of the house. Hazel, he registered, was not far behind him. 

What Will did _not_ expect, was to see his boyfriend in the arms of Superman - a very blonde, very buff, glasses-wearing Superman. Though he was smiling and holding Nico with obvious care and affection, Will felt immediately intimidated. 

“Jason? What are you doing here?” Hazel asked, and Will started - he had been staring so intently that he didn’t realize Nico’s sister was now right beside him, smiling at the new addition. Once she said the name, it clicked in Will’s mind. This was one of Nico’s friends from college. 

_He was the one who found Nico when he got sick…_ As the puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind, Nico turned to look at Will and Hazel.

“Jason surprised me!” Nico said excitedly. “You said you’d visit but we never said when,” he looked back at the taller blonde boy and lightly shook his shoulder, “Why didn’t you _tell_ me you were coming here today? And is Reyna with you?” Nico looked past Jason and through the open door expectantly.

“She’s still traveling. I _tried_ to convince her to ditch her sister and come with me, but…” Jason shrugged. “I guess she’s selfish.”

“And she probably doesn’t want you to try to set her up with _your_ sister,” Nico quipped, and then looked to Will and Hazel to fill them in, “Jason’s been trying to pitch that for a couple years now.”

“I’m just saying, I think Thalia and her would get along _great_ .” Jason folded his arms and shook his head, looking at Will as if to say, _What can you do?_ Will wasn’t sure - to be honest, the names were swirling in his head without much space to process.

“I always forget Thalia is your sister.” Hazel said with a shake of her head. Nico practically ran to Will’s side, grabbing his hand. “Will, this is Jason.” He said it like it explained everything, and given that all Nico had shared with Will, it did, if Will could get past the intimidation building in his chest. 

“Oh yeah! You’re Will? I’m excited to meet you, man.” Will stuck out his hand for Jason to shake, but the boy laughed and lifted Will up into a bear hug. Will let out a noise of surprise; Jason’s arms were _very_ strong, and he got a whiff of pleasant cologne while wrapped up in the hug. Up close, Jason looked like he could be painted on a propaganda poster - Will could practically see him in a soldier’s uniform, with his wide shoulders and cropped haircut. His eyes were a bright blue, reminding Will of electricity. _Forget Superman. This is Captain America._ Will vaguely wondered if that meant Nico was Bucky Barnes. He also wondered, in a flash of insecurity, where that left him in the story. His face felt like it was on fire while Jason laughed, finally putting Will down.

“Jason, please don’t crush my boyfriend.” Nico warned.

“I won’t - as long as he doesn’t crush _you_.” Jason suddenly gave Will a look of warning, and Will swallowed at how quickly Jason’s face changed to a threatening look. “I gotta make sure you’re being good to my B-F-F, okay Will?” 

“O-Okay…” Will trailed off, and he noticed Nico looking at him with a befuddled expression, even after he glared at Jason to back off. In Nico and Will’s limited social gatherings together, it was obvious that Will was the more social, extroverted one. Still - there was something about meeting your new boyfriend’s tall-drink-of-water-kind-of best friend, who also _just_ _had_ to be _blonde haired and blue-eyed_ , that was making Will flustered.

 _You_ _okay?_ Nico’s dark eyes asked Will. 

_I’m fine,_ Will looked back at him and gave a small nod, _it’s just that you have an abundance of friends_ _that look like they could kill me, and look sexy while doing it._ Will panicked internally, as Jason turned his attention to Hazel, wrapping her in a large hug. 

“Hey, what’s all the commotion?” Leo wandered out into the entryway. “Are you trying to make mine and Percy’s heads explode?” He put his hands on his hips, but his scowl faded when he took in Jason’s presence. “Wait…” 

“No way…” Jason had also frozen, and was pointing at Leo, like he was trying to place him. Leo was the first one who seemed to have a lightbulb moment, snapping his fingers at Jason.

“The Wolfhouse Boarding School, 2007 to 2008?” Leo asked, which clearly made no sense to Will, Hazel, or Nico. Jason, however, clapped his hands and barked out something between a surprised yell and a laugh. “You were that lacrosse player who helped me with the food fight?”

“Oh my god - _Leo_? Leo Valdez?” Jason and Leo closed the gap between them and hugged, clapping each other on the back like old veterans. “That was...oh man, that’s right, you only were there that year, right?”

“You know it! Starting a food fight in the cafeteria was...well, let’s just say it was my _final_ offense.” Leo smirked, a dangerous twinkle in his eyes. “Remember what I did with the mascot costume at Homecoming?”

“That was _you_?” Jason let out an impressed whistle. “I can’t believe this. I thought it was a small world when Nico and I became friends, but this...this is crazy!” Jason looked at the others in the entry room, gesturing between him and Leo. “Leo and I went to boarding school together! Well, for a bit - but man, Leo, you sure were memorable.” 

“I do what I can.” Leo threw his curly hair to the side, pretending to be humbled by the praise. “Wait, how do you know Nico?”

“Why is there so much yelling?” Percy grumbled as he stumbled in, Annabeth and Frank just behind him. Frank was the only other one who seemed to know Jason, giving him a friendly wave from afar; Will figured that this was because of Hazel’s visits to Nico in the city, for surely Frank tagged along at some point. 

“Jason, we’re just sitting down to eat, actually - why don’t you join us?” Hazel offered, and Nico nodded enthusiastically. Jason offered them all a very charming smile, his teeth a brilliant white.

“That would be great! I _do_ have to get to my mom’s soon, though. I said I’d be in by the afternoon and Thalia will worry if I don’t show.” 

It took about thirty minutes for everyone at the table to place Jason in the web that was Angel River. Percy and Annabeth were particularly shocked that Thalia had a younger brother, though Jason reassured them that it had taken them a while to reconnect as siblings. “It would have been after high school,” Jason explained, packing away a second stack of pancakes drizzled in syrup, “Our parents didn’t have an amicable split, and there was no way she could have gotten ahold of me when we were kids - our dad moved me around too much for that.” One of the places Jason had lived the longest was in San Francisco, attending the boarding school that held Leo for a year. Though they hadn’t stayed in touch, the two seemed more than amicable with each other, swapping little memories of the school back and forth for the others to listen to. 

“And, let’s see, then I went to New Rome University, and this little scene kid was on my floor.” Jason gestured with his thumb to Nico, who was sitting next to him. “It took us what, like...half the year before you told me where you were from?”

“Probably the whole year, actually.” Nico said with a thin smile. “I’m a very private person.”

Jason snorted. “Okay - tell that to your tumblr account,” he teased, and Nico blanched.

“Excuse me, his _what_?” Percy and Leo said in unison, which Will found comical, given that their delight seemed to further Nico’s growing horror. Jason put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, trying to remember the name.

“Let’s see, what _did_ you call it? Something to do with...ghosts? Angry feelings?” Jason was starting to laugh, pushing Nico’s flailing arm away with ease. “It was _pretty bad_. I think he wrote on it every day. So many selfies of you and those bangs you were trying to pull off-” 

“Jason, oh my god. Shut up.” Nico’s cheeks were pink. “Don’t you have to go?” 

Will tried to ignore the strange little monster in his chest that growled at someone else making Nico blush. _It’s just Jason, it’s his best friend_ , Will chided himself. _Cecil and Lou Ellen are basically models too, and that doesn’t mean anything._

“I _will_ find this account if it’s the last thing I do.” Percy said with determination, and Leo was nodding vigorously, already tapping away on his smartphone to start searching. Honestly, if anyone could find it, Leo would - Will had an unfortunate early hangout with the brunette that involved blowing his old MySpace profile on a projector in Percy’s cabin…

Suddenly, Nico stopped his attempts to silence Jason and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He swore. “Augh - I have a therapy appointment. I totally spaced.” Everyone else seemed pleasantly surprised at that - Nico had acknowledged meeting with a therapist without much hesitation, and the black haired boy seemed to register what he had said, his eyes widening slightly at the ones that stared back. Will leaned in to his boyfriend’s side, giving him a curious look. Thankfully, Nico seemed to snap out of it, and announced, “I’ll have to take this. Jason - it’s so good to see you. Text me what your plans are while you’re in town?”

“Absolutely!” Jason gave Nico a side hug that looked a bit bone-crushing, given their size difference. Leo began raving about the New Year’s Eve Party that Jason _had to attend_ , the others chuckling at what was going to be a long explanation of a ‘promposal’ Leo had come up with. 

Nico looked to Will, and gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s about forty to fifty minutes, so…” He looked bashful suddenly, looking downward and covering his eyes with his bangs. “If you need to go home, that’s fine. I’ll...see you later?”

Will’s heart fluttered - he was reassured by the nervous-but-delighted glances Nico gave him, and the way his pink mouth seemed to curve up in a way only for him. Will leaned in and kissed Nico on the nose, saying, “I’ll be here. Someone’s got to help Hazel clean up,” and Nico gave a quick nod, standing up to walk out of the dining room and presumably somewhere quieter and far away. 

This made Will realize that now he and Jason were sitting next to each other, basically. Although Leo was still mapping out details for everyone about how he would ask Caly to his own party, Will caught Jason looking at him a few too many times. Perhaps he was sizing Will up? Determining if he was good enough for Nico? Will wasn’t sure - this all felt very new, and now he was left with his boyfriend’s best friend to fend for himself. He supposed that each time Jason was looking at him, beyond the rims of his glasses, he seemed to be smiling at Will...but _still_. 

“Oh my _god_ , Leo you are so _loud_ !” The door burst open, and Piper Mclean, in all of her hungover glory, stepped inside, arms crossed against a pillow she held against her chest. When Leo had said she needed more time to come join them, Will guessed that this meant she had gone back to sleep - her hair was in a comical looking bun on top of her head, and she was wearing large, clear glasses that Will knew she did _not_ let just anybody see. She was wearing a very large and faded t-shirt from a concert long ago, and what looked like old soccer shorts.

Not that Piper looked _bad -_ she just looked quite...authentic. Authentically hateful of mornings, hangovers, and Leo. But Will thought she was (objectively) still cute, much like everyone seemed to be in Angel River. Will knew that Nico had yet to see his own methods of comfort and shabbiness; Will had a night guard that he (mostly) wore every night, and he enjoyed a good face mask or hearty dose of acne cream when he felt like his skin needed it. He almost shuddered at the thought. _Maybe I can keep that all on the down low for a few years,_ Will thought, which he knew was stupid. Beauty standards were stupid. They were why Piper still looked like her charming self, yet she would probably be mortified for anyone outside the tight knit group to see. 

In fact, it took Piper a moment, as she glared at everyone at the table, to realize there was someone there she didn’t know. Locking eyes with Jason, she dropped her jaw, as well as the pillow.

“Oh!” She said, clearly startled. “W-who…”

“Piper!” Annabeth stood from her chair and swooped to her friend's side. “This is Jason! Nico’s friend from college.”

“ _And_ Thalia’s sister,” Frank added.

“ _And_ my old boarding school buddy,” Leo said, grinning maniacally at Piper’s state of disarray. Will tried to shoot Leo a look to shut him up. No luck. “You sleep okay Beauty Queen?” Leo preened, dousing a lone pancake in far too much maple syrup. 

Piper was blinking rapidly, trying to process the information. “Thalia...? Wait, Leo, you know...what?”

Will was startled by the sound of Jason clearing his throat. Turning to look at him, Will thought Jason looked like he might be sick...or scared...or... _oh._

Jason’s eyes never left Piper, even when he abruptly stood up from the table, knocking it so that his and Will’s plates gave a loud clattering noise (Will had enough of the catlike reflexes to grab both of the cups they had been drinking out of before their contents spilled over). 

“Hi! I’m...I’m Jason!” Jason said, and then his light skin quickly went rosy, probably because he realized that Annabeth had already introduced him. “Who…?” 

“I’m Piper.” Piper raised her hand as if to wave. Jason reached out his hand, as if to shake it...but there was a wide dining table and several feet between them that would make that impossible. 

“Jason, er,” Will said, “probably not a good space to shake hands.” 

“Right!” Jason said, almost a little too loudly. “Well, uh, actually, I think I need to go meet my mom and Thalia. Thank you for the breakfast, Hazel.” Jason began wiggling away from the table and motioned to Will. “Will! Uh could you...point me in the right direction of the bakery? Nico’s told me about it and I thought I shouldn’t show up empty-handed.”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Will got up to follow Jason, leading him to the front door. Piper’s eyes followed them out - Will felt like they were flashing with colorful excitement. 

“So uh, if you’re going down this road a bit, and hang left at the stop sign, you’ll hit the Main Street.” Will gestured the way to go. “You can’t miss it because it’s still decorated for Christmas.”

Jason looked at Will blankly. “Christmas?”

Will shrugged. “Yeah I guess it’s tradition to take it all down on New Year’s Day. Anyways...if you’re heading down that way, you’ll see a large plant store, and the bakery is connected to it.”

“Nico says you’re a good baker - I’m excited to try it out.” Jason gave Will a friendly look, which was melting some of Will’s nerves. Plus, Will _was_ a good baker, and even if it wasn’t the same as patching injuries or seeing patients, he liked that he could make something good, something that brought others joy every time he worked with his hands. 

“Well I’ve been on holiday so it’s not _my_ stuff, exactly,” Will offered Jason a grin back, “but I’ll see if I can make you a special batch while you’re visiting. You know - to see if Nico’s lying or not.”

Jason chuckled at that, and then gave Will a more serious look. “By the way...I really _am_ excited to meet you. That was kind of an empty threat earlier; Nico seems...well, he seems so much better, and I know you’re a big part of why.”

Will ducked his head, uncomfortable with the sudden compliment. “Nico’s doing a lot of work on himself.” Will finally mumbled. “I’m just glad to be with him at all.”

“I believe you.” Jason sounded a bit sad now, and Will looked up in surprise. “He just...well. I know you know. He was in a bad way. I...I miss him a lot, but seeing him here, well...it’s...kind of nice, you know?”

Will softened completely at the level of affection in Jason’s voice. He may look like Captain America, but he seemed less and less like someone Will would have to be jealous or insecure around. Anyone who cared that much for Nico was a winner in his book.

“He’s really glad you’re here. I...I’m glad you’re here. It’s going to be fun to get to know you better.” Will offered this and Jason nodded enthusiastically. “Though you owe me some pictures of Nico with the septum piercing. He won’t cave.”

Now Jason was _really_ laughing. “Oh man, I have something even better. _Arm sleeves.”_

“No way.”

“Yes, exactly like Avril Lavigne but he would never admit it. I’ll dig through my records.” Jason straightened his glasses like the business deal was complete. “Now I’ve really got to go - but that was cool, meeting...all of you.”

It was hard to ignore the dreamy stare Jason was directing back towards the house. _To hell with it - Piper will thank me._ “She’s single, by the way.”

Jason looked at Will sharply, as if he had been caught drawing on the walls. “I’m sorry?” He asked, but Will was already walking back towards the house with a little skip in his step.

“You heard me!” Will called back in a singsong voice. He had a sneaking suspicion that he should go check on Piper’s vitals.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Nico is referred to as maybe being the jealous one but like. Jason basically is Captain America and I feel like I’d be intimidated 😂 also yay it’s Jason! 
> 
> You all have been so kind with kudos and comments! Thanks for reading this story; I know it’s imperfect and has gotten away from me more than once but it’s really been such a joy to write. I will give ONE shameless plug and just mention that there is a 2021 Solangelo Fic Award Nominations going on and if you think to vote for this fic, in any category you want, I’d be honored : the account is https://solange-lol.tumblr.com and you’ll see the fic awards as a pretty recent posting!
> 
> Seriously no pressure though. If anything, this award is good to know about because you can see all the previous fic winners and just read. them. all. Like me lol @_@


	30. Processing Old Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :-)

Nico had assumed his regular perch underneath the tree in the backyard for his virtual therapy session, huddled in a warm jacket and beanie. There had been a gap of holiday time since he had last seen Mr. D, and Nico spent at least half of the session trying to catch his therapist up to speed. Mr. D listened politely, offering Nico small smiles when he spoke about his progression with Will, and a furrowed brow when Nico shared (or really, glossed over) the details about his thesis and the fight with his father. 

Still, as Nico shared even the more difficult pieces of what had occurred in the span of the past week, he felt a lightness that he rarely experienced in the therapy space. Sharing about Will felt special, pride and affection blooming in his chest when he spoke about the blonde boy. Loving Will, and Will loving him back, was giving Nico a fuzzy edge to his outlook on life, and he was enjoying it. He told said just as much out loud, but felt surprised when Mr. D frowned at this. 

“Is something...wrong with that?” Nico asked his therapist tentatively. 

“Oh, well…” Mr. D seemed to remember himself, shifting in his seat and casting a more neutral look across his face. “Nico, I’m incredibly happy for you and your relationship. Please don’t misunderstand that. It sounds like Will is a very good man. Also, as you and I both know, you didn’t think romantic relationships were a possibility for you, despite me trying to convince you otherwise, so it’s nice to see you...proven wrong in this way.” At this he gave Nico a knowing smile, which Nico returned. “I feel more concerned about what happened with your father and your thesis work. I’d like to hear how you’re doing with all of that.”

“Oh…” Nico shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. “I mean...I’m fine.” When Mr. D only stared back, Nico doubled down. “It’s really not a big deal. I was failing my thesis anyway, and this isn’t the first fight my Dad and I have had - ”

“Sure, but it’s also been _seven years_ since you’ve fought with him, Nico.” Mr. D pointed out, looking worried. “And, from what you described to me, this one was pretty big. Enough to bring up the fight you had with him before you moved out the first time.”

Nico frowned. He didn’t _want_ to talk about this, because there was nothing to talk about. “I don’t get it. It’s the same old story - Dad says I’m a failure, we both remember that Bianca isn’t there to make it all better, and then we storm off.” 

“Well that’s the thing, Nico, it _is_ an old story.” Mr. D placed his hands together, as if he was trying to explain a complicated math problem. “I know you’ve probably felt like you’ve been in hundreds of fights, with your dad and anyone else. In our families, though, we’re actually just having the same two to three fights hundreds of times over. You’ll see this happen with Will, too, the longer you’re together. We are habitual creatures, even in our conflicts.”

“So?” Nico’s stomach twisted at the thought of him and Will ever fighting, and his name being mentioned in the same vein as his strained relationship to his father. “What’s your point?”

“What I’m getting at is this is an _old wound_ , Nico. One you’ve probably convinced yourself is fine, but in reality, it’s still re-opening, bleeding. It didn’t heal when you completely shut yourself away, and it won’t if you and your father don’t find some ways to break out of this cycle. Have you ever let your father respond to your belief that he wishes you dead over Bianca, for example?”

“I don’t _need_ to. I know he does.” Nico felt himself digging his heels in the dirt below his feet, his irritability rising. 

“Or maybe you’ve considered living elsewhere in Angel River? Nothing would be wrong with that, if you need to set that boundary.” Mr. D was waving his hand like he was ticking off a checklist in his head. “Or perhaps there’s a way you can engage with your father with a third party present, or - ”

“Look, isn’t it enough that I came _back?_ Isn’t it enough that I’m here, fucking _trying_ to get better?” Nico swore and looked away from the screen, surprised by the hot tears that came to his eyes. _Aren’t I enough?_

 _  
_“He’s...he’s the grown-up here. He was _supposed_ to be the grown-up.” Nico whispered the last sentence painfully, his mind ricocheting him back to his teen years, looking to his father for comfort he knew would never come. “If he’s not going to meet me halfway, then...then I don’t see the point in having a relationship with him at all.”

There was a dull silence, save for Nico occasionally sniffling, trying to compose himself back to scowling. 

“Nico, I know our time is running short, but would you allow me to clarify a few things?” With Nico’s nod of permission, Mr. D continued, speaking more softly now. “You’re absolutely right - your father was the grown-up in that situation, and he let you down. You were the child. You were grieving. That is not your fault.” 

Nico couldn’t help the tears now; they were rolling down his cheeks silently, as he avoided his therapist’s gaze, but continued to listen. 

“You are not responsible to live up to, or disprove, your father’s perception of you. You’re not responsible for how he handles his grief, or his anger, or your boundaries. You’re an adult now, and you did not have to tell him or anyone else about what was happening with school, or your history, _anything_.” Mr. D sighed now. “What I’m trying to get at is...this is a deep pain that you have when it comes to your father, and your feelings of failure. We’ve come a long way in trying to face it head on, not for his sake, but _yours_ . You are not in any way shape or form responsible for the traumas and losses you endured, but here, at least in this space, we are responsible for your _healing_. I don’t want to see you gloss over something this big, and tell me it’s fine, when it seems clear to you and I that it’s not. Whether you want to make things better with your father, or have no relationship with him at all...we have to explore that. This can and should be a safe space for you to do that. Does that make sense?”

Nico nodded slowly - he couldn’t have spoken with the lump in his throat anyway. 

“I’ve come to care about you a lot, Nico - I’m rooting for you, in every way. And this thing with Will is a _good_ thing; I’m not trying to ruin it. In fact, I hope it continues lightening up your outlook on your life in more ways you can imagine. But don’t forget that before Will, you were _already_ deserving of love and understanding and comfort, just as you were.”

“I...I know.” Nico hiccupped; now he was sobbing as he sat under the tree, this _stupid_ ugly knotted tree that he had hid under since he was little. It wasn’t the first time he was crying about his father under its branches, but Nico had hoped he had already passed the last time he would do so. “I...he just...what if I talk to him, and I’m _right_ ?” He spat out the question that haunted him so often when he thought of his father’s cold gaze and roaring temper. _What if I am a failure? What if he really did wish I had died? What if he doesn’t love me?_

“Then you, and I, and Will, and all the friends and family you’ve so bravely reconnected with, will help you get through it. To the point where you will realize it’s _his_ loss, not yours, to think so little of you.” Mr. D said this firmly, and Nico briefly felt convinced of this promise. “You don’t _have_ to do this alone, Nico. You’re doing a very good job.” 

_If he gives me one more speck of praise I will cry myself dry_ , Nico thought, as the praise from his therapist shed light upon a hole in his heart that was always hungry for reassurance. Mr. D seemed to take pity on him then, at least, allowing Nico some time to collect himself, perhaps for the sake of their session ending within minutes. Nico felt grateful for therapy, but in moments like this? Shit, it was hard. Even when the call ended, Nico found himself taking an extra half hour underneath the tree, trying to focus on his breathing.

The house was quieter when Nico finally came in, peeling off his boots and winter layers. Wandering back to the large living room, Nico saw only Hazel, Frank, and Will on the couch, the furniture large enough for each of them to sprawl out in front of the fire. A Christmas movie that Nico vaguely remembered was playing on the large TV, and, upon a small scan of the area, everything seemed to be clean and in its proper place. If he wasn’t so emotionally drained, Nico would have felt guilty for missing the tidying up portions of the day. 

Hazel looked up from her place on the couch. “Hi, big brother.” She said quietly. Will and Frank turned to peek at Nico from the couch. Hazel was leaning against Frank’s chest, and the boy seemed to be dozing off, though he managed to give Nico a small nod of greeting. “Everyone else went home. We just started this movie, if you want to join?”

“Sure.” Nico said, grateful that if his red eyes and nose were obvious of his breakdown during therapy, no one said anything. He wandered over to Will’s stretch of the L-shaped couch; he was laying on his back, propped up by a few pillows and covered in a blanket. Nico noticed that it was the same one he would use when he watched TV at odd hours in the night, and something about Will using it was comforting. Especially when Will’s blue eyes met his, and he opened the blanket invitingly, with hooded eyes and a lazy grin. 

Nico crawled into the space between Will and the couch, using his boyfriend’s chest as a pillow for his head. When Will covered them both under the blanket, Nico let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t facing the TV, but he didn’t care much about the movie. He felt like he could go back to sleep very easily, with Will’s fingers running through his hair, and listening to the freckled boy’s steady heartbeat. 

“Hey,” Will had leaned in, whispering so only Nico could hear him, “You okay?”

Nico felt a small hitch catch in his throat. He felt cried out, but he knew his eyes would betray him. He chose to hug Will’s chest tighter, burrowing his face into his shirt. “Not really,” he mumbled, “But I will be.”

There was a pause, and then the feeling of Will pressing his lips to the crown of Nico’s head. It made Nico’s eyes glaze over with water, but not from pain. It somehow felt more intimate than anything else they had done, this simple gesture of warmth and presence that Will gave to Nico without hesitation. “You’re right - you will be.” Will said, as if it was the truest and surest thing he knew to say. 

And, as Nico’s eyes slid shut, he felt like he could believe it too, more than he ever could have before. 

\----

Nico had woken up at the end of the movie to Will sniffling (“The ending is _deeply moving_ , Nico!”). After he collected himself, Will was finally done with being stuck inside the house, and Nico relented to his demands to go out for a walk (“Physical activity every day is good for you!”). Though the snow was here to stay, it was quite clear out, and it took a bit before the cold air stopped hurting Nico’s lungs as he followed Will’s bounds up a particularly steep hill. 

“Nico! Look at this view! You didn’t tell me you had this at your house!”

“It’s not _at_ my house, it’s a 30-minute walk _uphill_ from it.” Nico panted, frustrated with the way he could be freezing and sweating at the same time. Will looked overjoyed to be out and about, and Nico was reminded of a golden retriever finally let outside to play. It was hard to be mad at a golden retriever. 

“Well, it’s beautiful. This should be our spot.” Will beamed at the clearing they had summited; the town was at their backs, and the viewpoint dropped off to the lower forest, the impressive mountains that surrounded Angel River in plain sight. Nico knew the sight well - he had been to it countless times growing up. 

“First off, this can’t be our spot because I will die if I have to hike this all the time just to see you,” Nico found a large rock nearby to sit at, patting the space beside him for Will to join, “And secondly, this spot’s already been claimed by someone else.”

“Really? Who?” Will’s blue eyes were curious. Nico paused, wondering why he had shared just shared the history of the place.

“Well…” Nico exhaled. “It’s...Bianca’s.”

“Oh...Oh!” Will looked out at the view again, and back to Nico, his expression unreadable. He was keeping his mouth closed, which Nico took to mean that he would have to decide if they kept speaking on the topic or not. 

“She...we’d come up here a lot. We would pretend we were going to climb those mountains one day, or we’d swipe cookies from the kitchen and run them up here to eat in one sitting.” Nico kicked at the dirt where they sat as the memories resurfaced, and an involuntary smile broke across his face. “When Hazel joined our family, she...she was definitely scared, I think. Bianca would walk the two of us up here and would say it was a special spot, where any of us could share the truth and no one could judge the other. She’d look at you and say something like, ‘Care to share?’, and it was because she _knew_ you had something on your mind.” 

“That’s very sweet. I’m sure Hazel appreciated that.” Will’s smile was soft, his eyes far away as he stared forward with Nico. 

“She did. She would ask like, how rich Dad was, or why he and Seph were so weird, and how she was worried Bianca and I didn’t like her.” Nico laughed, remembering how wide eyed and nervous Hazel was when she had expressed that particular worry. It was impossible not to like Hazel, and felt more impossible that she didn’t realize this. “Bianca would share about like, parties she went to, or the farther away places she was going to apply to college without telling my Dad or Seph. I mostly shared about being mad at our Dad or...well, there was the one time I came out to Hazel.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah - she was very cool about it. In fact, since we were in the truth-telling space, Hazel admitted that she had a _feeling,_ and wasn’t surprised.” Nico snorted, and Will joined in with his melodious laugh. “I remember I was _so_ offended, to the point where Bianca just thought that was _hilarious_ , and the three of us were all laughing. I thought I kept it pretty close to the chest, you know?”

“Well,” Will looked Nico up and down, and playfully bumped their shoulders together, “How tight were your pants when you were a teen?”

“Shut up, Solace.”

“Just saying, Punk.” 

Their laughter eventually subsided into a pleasant sort of silence, as they watched the sun begin it’s descent towards the horizon. The sky was getting that orange glow to it, and Nico marvelled at how it seemed to make Will glow brighter. He was going to say something to Will, either to compliment how cute he looked, or maybe that they should head back soon, but he stopped himself. Even though Will’s facial expression had been relatively relaxed the whole time, his mouth was now in a hard line, and his eyes seemed to be swirling with thoughts. 

Nico nudged Will, which seemed to shake him out of his thoughts. His freckled face broke into a smile towards Nico, but it didn’t quite reach his blue eyes. Nico put a hand to Will’s face before he could overthink the action; initially, Will seemed startled, but quickly leaned his face into Nico’s palm, his eyes closed. He was breathing in and out through his nose, reminding Nico of the deep breaths he had taken earlier underneath a tree.

When Will finally did open his eyes, Nico offered him a pointed look. “Care to share?” He asked, and he could almost feel like Bianca was there, living, breathing, projecting safety and comfort wherever she went. 

Will leaned out of Nico’s touch, and began looking up at the sky again, the oranges deepening with blues and purples. He seemed to be debating what to say, his brow making a deep frowning line. When Will looked back at Nico, he blinked a few times, rapidly, and Nico noticed tears springing to his eyes. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Nico reached for him, and Will leaned into his side reaching his arms around Nico’s waist. 

“I miss my mom.” Will’s small, heartbroken voice whispered out as his hands gripped Nico’s jacket like a lifeline. He wasn’t really breaking down, but Nico could hear the watery strain in his voice. 

It was too much, but it also wasn’t at all. Will’s hurt was so easily Nico’s, and the dark haired boy felt tears spill down his own face as he held Will, petting his blonde curls and whispering that he knew, he understood, and he was sorry. And Will had looked up to see Nico crying as well; when they both tumbled into bed later that evening, when Will asked about it, Nico shared about his conversation with his therapist, and the concept of old wounds that still stung fresh. Will took the opportunity to whisper just as much comfort back to Nico as he had done for him earlier - he whispered that he knew, he understood, and he was sorry. It was for that reason, that delicate reciprocation, that the last thought Nico had before falling asleep was that he was was falling in love with Will more and more each day.

\----

_The Next Morning_

**_[Seph to: Hazel, Nico]_ **

_Good morning, my loves - your father and I will be arriving late on December 31st. I just wanted to give you a heads up that we’ll likely be back close to midnight or 1am - I imagine you’ll both be out celebrating with your friends and beaus... We’ll plan to see you in the late morning of the New Year. No obligations to show for a meal, but perhaps dinner if we all feel up to it._

**_[Seph to: Nico]_ **

_Hi Little Bird. For what it’s worth, your father’s had quite the lashing from me and your sister and he will under no circumstances be cornering you. I’ve seen to it that he communicates this to you._

_That being said, if you feel the need to make yourself scarce when we arrive back home, I would understand. Just tell me where you are and that you’re safe. I love you._

**_[Jason to: Nico]_ **

_My mom is a terrible cook. There are eggshells in our breakfast. When are you free to hang today? I need that tour of your teen years please._

_Also what’s this New Year’s party I’m going to with you guys?_

_Leo said it’s a prom?_

_Wake up, lazy._

**_[Unknown Number to: Nico]_ **

_Nico, hello - this is your father. I am sorry for our misunderstanding before Christmas. Please continue to use your room and the house as you need. I will do my best not to bother you - though, if you are open, I would like a moment to speak with you, at some point. I will not be approaching you about what was discussed unless you initiate with me, so I’ll wait for your invitation._

_I would understand if you don’t want to. That is fine as well._

_I think I should write once more to emphasize that I will not be bothering you when we are both at home. I still hope to see you at dinners on Friday, but I will try to avoid causing further stress._

_Your stepmother assisted in crafting this message for me - I think she might have already told you this, though._

\---

The following morning, Nico scrolled through his various text messages, and sighed. _All good things must come to an end_ , he thought, as he pondered on the swirl of emotions that surfaced at the text from his father in particular. What was there to talk about? What could that be worth? And would he really leave it alone if Nico wanted? 

Nico didn’t feel unsafe at the idea of Hades returning, but it did put a damper on his sense of freedom in the house - he knew there was little chance that he would wander down to watch _Friday Night Lights_ alongside his father, nor share many meals with his family outside of Friday evenings. Granted, with Hades’ work schedule, Nico really only had to deal with seeing his father in the evening, and the occasional weekends when he was free during the day. He trusted that during their last argument (or _miscommunication_ , as his father stupidly labeled it, and Nico rolled his eyes at this), he had shut his father up enough to keep him at bay for some time. He didn’t even care that his medical and academic emergencies were laid out on the table, literally, for his father to know - what more damage could he do? Nico had already endured being broken, and had been doing a fine job of putting the pieces back together, if he did say so himself. 

He was laying on the bed in his room as he considered all of this, Will beside him and looking at his own phone. He had mentioned to Nico the day before that he would probably be transitioning out of the bakery job soon, now that the holidays were coming to an end. The K-12 schools were coming to the end of their break, and Will would start his part-time nursing gig there soon after. Camp Olympus would also jump into the throes of summer hiring, which Nico knew from experience was a bear of a project. Even though Will was the camp medic and not a counselor per se, he would have to assist Percy with a lot of interviews as one of the year round staffers. 

It had made Nico sad, to think of Will leaving the bakery, for that meant he would as well - he wasn’t a gifted craftsman in the creations of butter, flour, and sugar, and if Will wasn’t there, it really wasn’t worth staying. He wondered what that meant for work, and his free time. Suddenly the vastness of being back in Angel River without much of a plan felt a little scary again. 

That being said...Nico couldn’t deny how Will lit up when he spoke about starting to work at the school, how excited he seemed to meet the various children he would treat and educate. It warmed his heart to think of Will’s sunny disposition and healing hands being the first thing children experienced when they were not feeling well. He didn’t know what Will thought about going back to medical school one day, if at all, but Nico did get a sense that he had yet to see Will truly in his element - he hoped he’d get enough glimpses of Will at work at school or camp, if only to seek new ways to admire and fall in love with him a little more. 

So, he couldn’t fault Will for moving on. He couldn’t fault himself for not wanting to keep working at the bakery, either. At least he had Will’s hand to hold as he figured out what was next, and Hazel, and his friends. Surely they would all help him, if he really felt stuck. 

Will had put his phone down, and cuddled next to Nico, shaking him from his thoughts. “Care to share?” he asked tentatively, looking cute and cuddly and soft. 

Nico shrugged, not sure if the morning felt like the best time to try and get Will to follow along with his many thoughts. Instead, he offered his phone to Will, letting his boyfriend scan the texts quickly. When Will looked back up at Nico with a questioning, concerned expression, Nico shook his head. “Too much right now - I need to sit with it. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking later?” He leaned over and kissed Will on the freckle above his lip, and Will hummed.

“Do you promise?” Will asked, his lips inching closer to Nico’s. 

“I promise.” Nico said. 

And for Will, he really did mean it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeee thank you for reading! not much to say on this chapter other than New Year's Prom is COMING. Along with Hades, lol. Don't be scared.


	31. The Montage Part of the Movie Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long long chapter woohoo!

**December 28th; Late Morning; Nico & Jason**

“So, this is it.”

“Yup.”

“It’s...underwhelming, Nico.”

“I’m not sure what you expected, Jason?”

“It’s just...this is where my gothic, angsty, _emo_ best friend - ”

“ _Jason._ ”

“- went to high school, and I guess I was picturing something more...grand? Something that would explain the septum piercing and the hair and the eyeliner, _at least_.”

Jason and Nico were standing outside the main entrance to Nico’s high school, which, admittedly, looked just like any other run-of-the-mill school. Still, Jason had demanded that Nico give him a complete tour of Angel River, based on his life “from diapers to now”. He never claimed that seeing a school during its winter break would be very exciting.

“I’m guessing _your_ high school completely reflects your brainiac-jock-persona?” Nico snapped. 

“Definitely - you could tell it was a sports-driven school just by seeing how much newer the track was compared to the classrooms.” Jason shook his head sadly as they walked through the campus, sighing at the rows of outdoor lockers and the locked up swimming pool. 

“Okay, well, Jason, I don’t know what to tell you - Angel River is not that exciting, and I went to a very mild-mannered high school, birthing my unique flair from within myself. Sorry if that is disappointing.” 

“Oh it’s okay, it’s okay. Why don’t you take me somewhere else?”

“Where?”

“I don’t know...maybe an abandoned library, or a castle where you roost upside down for bedtime - ow! Nico, that’s my writing arm!”

Nico had already started heading back towards the warmth of Jason’s car, beginning to run when it looked like his friend was going to tackle him. For as quick as Nico was, Jason always managed to catch up. Nico could already picture the frown on Will’s face when he would see Nico’s skinned knee and Jason’s elbow bruise. He beamed at the thought, and then began giving Jason driving directions to the bakery - it was time to quell Jason’s demands with snacks. 

“By the way...” Jason drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “What’s the story on your friend Piper?”

Nico stared blankly at Jason until his blonde friend began panicking, slightly, claiming he was just _asking_. Nico kept staring until Jason stuttered out that he thought Piper was cute. It was fun to be silent with Jason - he always managed to fill in the gaps in ways Nico could mock him for later.

**December 28th; Late Morning; Will & Piper**

**[Piper to: Will]**

_OK Will. You haven’t been answering my texts and i couldn’t ask you at hazel and nico’s house. WHO is Nico’s friend?_

**[Will to: Piper]**

_i mean, u are. so is percy, annabeth, leo, frank. i am his BOYfriend. :P_

**[Piper to: Will]**

_I hate you *knife emoji* you know what I’m trying to ask!!_

**[Will to: Piper]**

_U luv me_

_i told him ur single btw_

_:-*_

**[Piper to: Will]**

_WILL, WHAT????_

_Call me!!!_

_Pick up!!_

_Pick up, you ass!_

_Will are you joking i can’t tell if you’re joking_

_Call me back!!!_

_If you aren’t joking, what did he say???_

_WILL!_

**[Will to: Piper]**

_Omg Piper i was in the shower dear god why are u texting me like ur on fire_

**[Piper to: Will]**

_Goddammit Will, pick up your phone I’m not texting you anymore!_

**December 28th; Early Evening; Nico & Hazel**

After giving Jason a thorough and boring tour of Angel River, Nico met Hazel downtown to secure dinner and dessert for a ‘sibling’s night in’ (Hazel insisted that she was owed one after graciously hosting a party, and boyfriends were _not_ invited).

“Do you want to see if the market has anything good?” Hazel looked towards the stands and twinkling lights hopefully, and Nico rolled his eyes. 

“ _Okay_. But I’m not getting anything from a stand that relies on puns to draw in customers.” 

They walked about, peeking at the remnants of goods and trinkets that the vendors were beginning to discount. The market stayed up until the New Year, but Nico felt a little odd looking at the Christmas ornaments and gifts that had gone unpurchased, and even the beauty of the tinsel and garlands seemed out of place. He was the only one who felt this, at least that’s what Hazel said. She and plenty of others were still in awe of the different booths that were exuding cheer (and reduced prices, Nico had grumbled). 

“It’s all quite capitalist, Hazel. They’re just trying to clear their stocks even though it’s not Christmas anymore.” Nico muttered to Hazel when she took an especially long time admiring a snowglobe. “You don’t really _want_ the snowglobe, you just want the satisfaction of a good monetary deal.” 

“Oh stuff it, Scrooge. I like a good bargain” Hazel reached into her pocket for her wallet, offering the smiling vendor cash for the globe. “And now I have something I _do_ want.” She stuck her tongue out at Nico’s judgemental stare. 

“Okay, okay. Can we get food? I feel like my stomach is eating itself.” 

“You and Jason didn’t stop to get food on your tour?”

“I mean…” Nico pondered on the various events of his day with Jason. “I guess we got sandwiches around noon, and then we had chocolate cake and pie like...an hour ago?”

“ _Wow_ , Nico.” 

“Hey, don’t judge my appetite. It’s like nothing I’ve dealt with before.” Nico shoved his hands in his pockets, having forgotten his gloves. _It’s so cold in this damn town_. 

“I’ve noticed that, actually.” Hazel looked Nico up and down, and poked him in the side. “You’re still skinny, probably always will be, but you’re not looking...as haggard.” 

“Gee, thanks Hazel.”

“You know what I mean,” Hazel scoffed, waving her hand at Nico as they perused the various food stands, “You’ve got like, more color in your face. You’re actually eating regular meals. You’re not _fading_ like you were in the city.”

Nico paused, lost in thought for a moment. “I suppose I wasn’t taking the best care of myself.” He shrugged, and Hazel gave him a sympathetic look. 

“You’ve always been the cutest brother _I’ve_ ever had,” She reached out to pat Nico’s cheek affectionately, “But yes, I think you look more cared for now, and that I like to see.” 

Nico gave her a small smile, then shook his head, eager to move on from compliments directed towards him. He scanned the different stands they had passed, littered with puns and little paper baskets of food. Nothing seemed _quite_ appealing enough, and Hazel seemed to be thinking the same thing, frowning as she looked around for inspiration. 

“So...these options blow. Want to get a pizza?” Nico nudged Hazel with his elbow, and his sister grinned. 

“Absolutely - but only if you use your bakery key to snag some cookies.” 

“Why Hazel, when did you become such a little _devil_?” Nico offered his sister his arm, and she took it with a chuckle. 

“Since someone had to uphold senior prank day long after you and Leo were gone.” Hazel gave Nico a mischievous look, which sparked his curiosity. 

“What did you - ”

“Not here!” Hazel looked around comically, as if the authorities themselves were waiting in the shadows of downtown, ready to listen in on her confession. “I’ll tell you back at the house. Pizza and cookies first.” 

“Deal.” 

**December 28th; Early Evening; Will, Percy, & Annabeth**

“Are you serious, Will?” Percy was staring at Will from inside his and Annabeth’s home, answering Will’s rapid knocking on the door. “I just saw you for the hiring prep meeting like, an hour ago.”

“Nico and Hazel are having _sibling time_ ,” Will groaned, and he looked past Percy to Annabeth, whose gray eyes were peering at him from the couch, “And I don’t want to be alone. I brought dinner!” He lifted up the casserole dish he was holding; Will wasn’t much of a cook (it seemed more intuitive than the strict measurements and procedures that came with baking), but the one thing he could do well was a recipe passed on from his mother. “Broccoli and ham casserole - and I added tater tots as the top layer. All it needs is thirty minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.” 

Percy’s eyes had glazed over after the word ‘tater tots’, and he ushered Will inside quickly. “Annabeth, this still counts as my night to cook!” Percy stated, grabbing the casserole from Will’s hands and racing to the kitchen. Percy and Annabeth’s cabin was significantly bigger than Will’s - it had two bedrooms towards the back, and the entry room was big enough to make dining and lounging feel like they could happen in separate areas. There was technically a third bedroom as well, but it was quite small, and had long been used as the Camp Director’s office, a large desk and giant bulletin board taking up most of the room. Mrs. O’Leary even seemed to fit into the space alright, her poofy bed tucked in the corner by the couch. The dog leapt up to greet Will, raising her paws to his chest with a loud, “Woof!”

“Good lord, your dog is huge.” Will was alarmed at the weight behind Mrs. O’Leary’s jump, and grabbed her monstrous paws to set her back down on all fours. She was wriggling with joy, still very much a puppy, and Will relented to crouching down to give her scratches up and down her body. 

“She’ll make a great guard dog.” Percy said with pride as he pressed the buttons on the oven, making a series of little beeps. 

“Oh please, Seaweed Brain, she’s afraid of the _toaster_. Can you imagine how she’ll be with the campers?” Annabeth closed the book she had been reading; something about the architecture of San Francisco, Will had put together as he glanced at the cover. Annabeth gave Will a sly grin. “Will, thanks for bringing dinner. You’re always welcome, though I’m warning you, you’re going to long for alone time once camp starts up.”

“That’s true,” Percy was now digging around in the fridge, pulling out a variety of bottled ciders and beers, “Campers are cute, but man, there’s something _every day and night_ , especially for the nurse.” He held up two options of beverages to Will, and moved to open the cap of the one Will pointed to. 

“Ah, I’m excited for that, though.” Will took a drink of the cider, enjoying how the bubbles tickled down his throat. “I like kids, remember?”

“Tell me that in August during the last session, and I’ll believe you. Fair warning - we always end the summer on a _junior high_ week.” Percy was grinning as he flopped on the couch next to Annabeth. “And they _smell_.” 

“I’m sure.” Will laughed, and he pulled a chair away from the dining table to sit down. “Listen, I’m thankful for your company tonight. You know you can always kick me out if you’re...busy.”

“We’re not too busy for you, Will - you’re practically Sally and Paul’s second son, after all.” Annabeth stole Percy’s beer and sipped at it. “Although, Percy was not honest with you - we did invite Jason over and he’s due here any minute” 

Will pretended to be deeply wounded by this, clutching his chest and gasping dramatically. “You’ve already replaced me with another blonde? I haven’t even been here for a year!”

“No one could replace you - not when you bring casseroles and cakes to our doorstep.” Percy assured Will. “Jason and Nico stopped by to check out the camp. Anyway, Jason mentioned he didn’t have plans tonight so we invited him over - he’s been getting a little tour of all the places that Nico grew up, and he seemed really into the camp.”

“That’s right, Nico was a camper and then a counselor, right?” Will asked eagerly; now that Nico was his boyfriend, he didn’t have to downplay how much he enjoyed hearing others share about him.

“Well, technically a _junior_ counselor - you don’t get full reign of a cabin until you’re a senior, and well....Nico left before that summer.” Annabeth gave a small frown at that, but continued. “I’m not sure if he _liked_ being in the cabins with all the kids as much, but he was better at it then he would recall, I think.”

“Oh yeah,” Percy nodded, “he had a way of finding that one kid who would be left out, and have them as his best buddy for the rest of the week. I remember this one kid didn’t participate in _anything_ all week, and he was so shy, and Nico managed to get him to do the Leap of Faith on the last day of camp.”

“The what?” Will asked.

“The Leap of Faith. It’s at the ropes course,” Annabeth explained, “It’s like, you climb up a tree forty feet, to a little ledge, and you jump off with a partner.”

“Uh, that sounds horrifying.” Will’s eyes widened. He didn’t mind heights, but he’d never jumped willingly from anything like that. 

“It’s not so bad! You get to try to grab a trapeze bar!” Percy grinned widely and Will shook his head.

“I’ll be fine watching from the _ground_ , thanks.” Will heard his phone chime, and sighed. “Man, Piper’s been texting me literal essays all day. Hold on.” He tapped his thumbs on the screen, trying to reply before she wrote more. 

“Would...she want to come over here? To eat with us?” Annabeth asked innocently, though her gray eyes seemed to betray the gears spinning in her head. Will smirked, feeling his own brain begin scheming. 

“Why would we invite her? She’s a vegetarian, she can’t eat what Will brought.” Percy, completely unaware, was looking at Annabeth with a confused look. 

“I mean, you could ask Jason to bring something vegetarian,” Will offered, shrugging, “That way Piper has something to eat.”

“ _Will_ , I’m not going to make a guest bring food for someone who we didn’t even invite over.” Percy rolled his eyes at the suggestion, and then winced when Annabeth elbowed him in the side. 

“God, Percy, just give me your phone. I’ll ask Jason if he doesn’t mind. It’s not a big deal.” As she typed out a message to Jason, she looked to Will. “And Will, want to invite Piper over?” 

“Oh, absolutely.” 

Percy looked between his fiance and Will with a befuddled expression. “I don’t get why this has to be a dinner party, I thought we were going to _chill_. But whatever.” As he drained the last of his beverage, he peered into the empty bottle absentmindedly as he said, “Tell Piper to bring ice cream at least.” 

\----

**December 28th; Late Evening; Nico & Hazel**

“I can’t do it.”

“You _can._ ”

“Nico, I’m going to explode.”

“You’re weak.”

“I relent - you can have the last piece of pizza.”

“Okay - you won’t guilt me for eating it later, when you want a snack?”

Hazel groaned from the couch, clutching her stomach. “I promise I will _not_ give you any grief for eating the last piece of pizza, which is rightfully owed to me. I relinquish it to you.”

“I accept. Thank you dear sister.” Nico began eating the last of their pizza, loaded with toppings, from his spot on the couch. He and Hazel had already watched two movies, and done face masks (which Nico only agreed to do if Hazel repainted his nails). They had covered a variety of topics during their time together, and for as much as Nico pretended to be above it, he really cherished his time with Hazel. When he was with his sister, he felt a steady optimism bloom in his chest, and he felt that he could be very open with her. 

Of course they had talked about Frank. To be fair, Nico asked how things were going, not surprised when Hazel gushed for nearly fifteen minutes over how smitten she was with her boyfriend (he couldn’t fault her too much for that, as she had listened to him go on for a good thirty minutes about Will over pizza). When Hazel began referring to Frank as ‘the one’, and pondered when she and Frank might take a step towards engagement, Nico kept a very straight face, pretending he didn’t know that Frank already had a ring. He wondered if he could convince Frank to show it to him ahead of time, a ruse to give him a firm talking-to about being good to his sister. Granted, Frank was the best person Nico could think to take such a close role to Hazel, but _marriage_ felt so big, and scary, and downright unappealing to Nico if he thought about it too hard. It was a little sad, he realized, that Hazel was so grown up, at this point of her life already - not because Nico didn’t love who Hazel was growing into, nor who she chose to love. It was just...every milestone Hazel crossed meant that she wasn’t his little sister anymore, sharing secrets on the hill by their house and fumbling through Mythomagic games. As they finally got into bed, agreeing to share the guest bedroom so they could spend the night together (“I’m not sleeping where your boyfriend’s been” being the mutual sentiment), Nico listened to the even breathing of Hazel beside him, his mind wandering. 

_I wish Bianca could have seen Hazel grow up. I wish she could have met Frank. She’d be better at scaring him, anyways._

He smiled at his imagination, knowing that if anyone could intimidate a person as strong and large as Frank, Bianca easily could have. She had that way about her - when it came to people she loved, she protected them fiercely. He saw the same qualities in Hazel. He hoped to one day see those qualities in himself. 

_I haven’t been around enough to really_ _be_ _there for Hazel_ , he admitted to himself with a low feeling. Reaching across the bed, he found Hazel’s hand, encouraged when she grabbed for his back. 

“Hazel?”

“Yes?” She didn’t sound asleep yet, so Nico didn’t feel too guilty for bothering her. 

“Can I ask you a favor?”

Hazel turned her face towards Nico, her expression unreadable in the dark. “Of course - anything.”

“Can...can you…” Nico took a large breath. “Would you tell me about the funeral? What it was like?” Hazel didn’t say anything for several moments, to the point where Nico felt silly for asking. “If you remember, that is, it’s no problem -”

“Of course - I remember it.” Hazel squeezed Nico’s hand, and then she began. 

\----

**December 29th; Early Afternoon; Will, Nico, The Angel Squad + Jason**

“I’m having second thoughts.” Leo stammered. It was one of the few times Will had ever seen him _nervous_. He found it kind of sweet, though Piper seemed to have less sympathy for him.

“Leo - you’re doing this.” Piper pushed Leo’s shoulders from behind, forcing him to take a few steps closer to the inn that Caly worked at. “I’ve blasted social media about our prom-themed New Year’s, I helped you put out _two_ fires putting the robot together, you’re doing this.”

“Also, you’re a catch and Caly would be crazy to say no.” Annabeth gave Piper a stern look, trying to silently remind her that this was about _supporting_ Leo. Percy, Jason, and Nico were hanging back, engaged in a three-way game of rock-paper-scissors (Jason seemed to be winning), and Hazel and Frank were inside the inn, placing part of Leo’s ‘promposal’ in its proper place.

“I-It’s...It’s really just a prototype! What if it catches fire _in there_?” Leo’s eyes were darting around nervously. He was wearing what Will thought was a very pretty maroon sweater, and jeans that didn’t have holes in them, but he saw that Leo looked a bit stiff and uncomfortable. 

“It won’t, man. If you’ve improved on your inventions since boarding school, then you’re probably a _pro_ by now.” Jason gave a million-dollar grin that would put a politician to shame. Will had to stop the Star Spangled banner playing in his head at the sight.

“Still! This is a dumb idea. What if I’m the only one asking someone to this thing?” Leo groaned. “Caly will think I’m a freak.”

“I _said_ prom dates were _encouraged_ on the invite!” Piper sighed. Leo spun around and pointed at her accusingly.

“ _You’re_ not bringing a date! None of you are!” Leo spat, his friends becoming enemies in mere seconds. After a few seconds of silence, Piper rolled her eyes, shook her head, and turned to look at the others. 

“Will?” She asked, “Want to be my prom date?”Will was about to open his mouth to reply when Nico squawked, appearing at his side and grabbing his hand.

“Excuse me, Piper, Will is going to prom with _me_!” Nico snapped, and Will tried to stifle his smile at the thrilling feeling of Nico claiming him in a moment of possessiveness. 

“I-I’ll take you, P-Piper.” Jason said softly, then coughed, blushing. Piper was staring at him, her cheeks also reddening. “I mean, since Nico practically marked his territory on your first choice just now.” He seemed to be making a joke to make light of his offer, and Will tried to chuckle too, to help him out. 

Percy then walked up to Annabeth. “Hey,” and he knelt down on one knee, “Will you, the wisest girl in the world, go to prom with me, a second time?”

“Only if you don’t make Nico punch you again.” Annabeth pulled Percy up, smiling as Nico grumbled to the group that that was _only_ _one time_. 

Piper then turned to Leo, who was looking at them all with his jaw dropped. “T-there, Leo. Now we all have... _dates_ .” She was deliberately not looking at Jason, which Will catalogued to mock her relentlessly for later. “It’s _your turn_. It’s a good plan, I promise. We wouldn’t have all voted yes if not.” 

Leo was tight-lipped, but seemed to steele himself as he pulled out a small controller with a screen on it. Turning towards the inn, he barked out, “Fine! If this goes south you each owe me _two dates_ with _stellar_ bachelorettes.” He pressed a button, and the controller turned on with a few melodic chimes. “Places!” he ordered, and the group dispersed. 

**December 29th; Early Afternoon; Will and Nico**

“How did we end up with the corniest job in this promposal?” Nico asked, peering over the ledge at the ground below them. He and Will were on the top of the inn, on the patio that was used as a rooftop bar in the warmer months. They were each holding large bags of confetti that were, according to Leo, hues of Calypso’s favorite colors. 

“Maybe because it was _your_ idea?” Will leaned over to kiss the side of Nico’s head. “My little _romantic_.” 

“Hmmph.” 

The plan was this: Leo had finished and embellished Caly’s old robot from high school, turning it into a flying drone (one that played music to boot). Once positioned inside the inn by Frank and Hazel, Leo would steer it to Caly to lure her outside. Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason lined the steps that led down to the sidewalk, ready to each hand her a rose as she went down the steps to Leo. Leo opted to hold a simple sign to invite her to prom, though he hadn’t been able to resist a corny pun, back when he was feeling more confident - “My dancing’s rusty, but will you go to prom with me?” Will and Nico were supposed to rain confetti down on the pair of them, assuming Caly said yes. 

_Ridiculous_ , Nico thought. Even though he could tell he was smiling, a little. It was hard not to when Will seemed so charmed by all of it. He was beginning to feel a little bad that he hadn’t asked Will to the party in a more romantic way himself, until - 

“Oh look! Caly just got outside!” Will grabbed Nico’s arm in a death grip. “She’s getting the flowers!! The robot is flying! This is so exciting.”

Nico looked down and saw Caly cautiously walk down the steps. She seemed startled by all the attention, and the drone floating around while it blasted _Love Story_ by Taylor Swift (Will’s insistence, even though Nico begged Leo not to comply). Leo still gripped the controller, trying to get the drone to gracefully head towards his way.

“Oooh!” Nico winced, and Will let out a horrified gasp. Unfortunately, the robot had taken a sudden lurch, and zoomed right into Leo’s face, knocking him over (to credit Leo’s handiwork, the song only skipped once on impact, then kept blasting). Leo fell over on his behind, letting out a yelp of surprise and pain. Caly rushed to his side, kneeling down, and Leo seemed to be telling her something from the ground.

“What’s he saying to her?!” Will hissed, but there wasn’t any way to be able to tell from so high up. However, it ended up not being necessary to hear everything - with a yell that sounded both delighted and exasperated, Caly leapt onto Leo, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him into a large kiss. Leo seemed to freeze up for a second, before wrapping his arms tightly around her and kissing back, the cheers of their friends coming from the stairs.

Will whooped in Nico’s ear and began flinging fistfuls of confetti into the air. He elbowed Nico to join in, which he did with a reserved sort of grace. The bits of glittery paper covered Caly and Leo’s heads like rain, and they both looked up to wave at Nico and Will. He had to admit, it did something unexpected to Nico’s heart to see Leo kissed by his crush of many years. He felt very happy for him. 

“I didn’t even know Caly liked him back!” He said, as the last bits of confetti left his fingers. Will’s silence made Nico turn to study him more carefully. Will was biting his lower lip, avoiding Nico’s eyes. “Wait...You _knew_ something!” Nico realized. 

“I-I would have mentioned it! If it was absolutely necessary!” Will waved his hands defensively, yelping when Nico grabbed him around his sides. “Stop! That tickles!” 

“Why didn’t you tell _me_? I’m your boyfriend!” Nico began poking Will, enjoying how the blonde pleaded with him to stop. “That constitutes as absolutely necessary!” All it took to stop his attack, it turned out, was Will giving Nico a kiss to rival Leo and Caly’s. Jason ended up having to (grumpily) retrieve them from the rooftop a while later, so they could come down to properly celebrate Leo’s win. 

\----

**December 29th; Early Evening**

“So...mom and dad will be back in a few days.” Hazel said carefully as she and Nico worked together at the stove. They had invited their friends over for a pasta dinner, partly to celebrate their last few days of free reign in the house, and partly because Piper had called everyone begging for somewhere to hang out (Leo and Caly were at the McLean home and apparently were making up for _years_ of pining...loudly). 

“Mhm.” Nico was crushing garlic cloves. One could never have too much garlic, he thought. “I know that, Seph texted me too, remember? Pass me another head will you?”

“Nico…” Hazel sounded sad, which meant that Nico wanted to look anywhere but at her. Will was leading the rest of the crowd in a rowdy game of _Catchphrase;_ Percy was currently screaming guesses at Frank, who looked like he was going to throw the word-distributing piece of the game at somebody’s head. 

“I just want to make sure you’re okay. And that you feel safe. And...if you can’t stay at the house, like...ever, I would understand.” Hazel placed her hand on Nico’s back. “I’d miss you, but you don’t owe it to any of us to stay in this house specifically.”

Nico sighed, his shoulders drooping as he relented, looking at Hazel. “I’m not going to say it hasn’t crossed my mind,” he admitted, trying to ignore how Hazel’s eyes went downcast, “but...I don’t know. I’m not _scared_ of Dad anymore. I’m angry at him, and I don’t know _what_ kind of relationship I want with him, but...well, I don’t think I’m going to figure that out without trying to talk to him first.”

Hazel nodded, appearing to be lost in thought now. Nico reached out, and clasped her hand in his.

“Thank you, sis. You always are looking out for me.” He offered Hazel a smile, which she returned. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. And even if Dad and I never speak again, I’m not leaving you this time.”

That seemed to take a weight off of Hazel that he hadn’t noticed before. She leaned into him for a hug, and Nico held her, resting his chin on her head. Nico thought back to the evening Hazel had spent holding his hand, telling him all the details of Bianca’s funeral down to the snacks at the wake and the flowers.

_“The snacks were too fancy. Not really Bianca’s thing. Leo made an effort to sneak into the kitchens and grab the only things I liked - the crab puffs. When I was in the service, my breath smelled like seafood. It was kind of gross.”_

Nico wasn’t surprised his family’s wealth had shown itself off in appetizers and decor, even for the death of one of their own. He wondered what Bianca would have wanted. Maybe apples and peanut butter. Honey Dijon potato chips. Tacos. Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts (her favorite flavor - Seph spent years having to put all three kinds on the grocery list for the di Angelo siblings). 

_“Thalia spoke, which I thought was nice. She read something from that book series that she and Bianca were obsessed with. The one about the female Robin Hood?”_

Nico had nodded, even though he knew that Hazel couldn’t have seen him. Bianca loved reading. She was always a great storyteller, and she was clever. Maybe she would have written her own book, one that empowered little girls and made them feel strong, like her. 

_“Remember how Bianca loved the show Parenthood? We played a version of ‘Forever Young’. Everyone cried.”_

Nico cried at this part as well. He had learned, while watching _Friday Night Lights,_ that the same people went on to create _Parenthood._ He remembered how Bianca would sing along to the theme song, always off-key, always to bug Nico and Hazel who refused to watch it with her. He wondered if he could watch it now.

_“We were supposed to take turns, you and I, but...obviously you weren’t there. I was going to read the poem you liked, but by that point I was running on no sleep and was so sad...Annabeth actually came up and finished reading the poem for me.”_

Hazel had said all of this without any hint of anger in her voice, instead just speaking through watery grief coming back to the surface. Nico squeezed her hand at this, feeling guilty that Hazel had been burdened with a task meant for him, grateful for Annabeth for stepping in. 

_“I meant to remember the poem, though now I’ve only got bits and pieces. Do you remember it?”_

Of course Nico did. It was forever stuck in his mind, weathered like an old tome, a thoughtful piece written by Mary Elizabeth Frye. He opened his mouth, and whispered the poem over him and Hazel, almost like a prayer, or a blessing:

“Do not stand at my grave and weep, 

I am not there. I do not sleep. 

I am a thousand winds that blow. 

I am the diamond glints on snow. 

I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 

I am the gentle autumn rain. 

When you awaken in the morning's hush, 

I am the swift uplifting rush, 

Of quiet birds in circled flight. 

I am the soft stars that shine at night. 

Do not stand at my grave and cry; 

I am not there. I did not die.”

———

**December 30th; Nearly the Middle of the Night; Will & Nico**

“Psst. _Will_.” 

“Mmph.”

“Will - I need you to stay awake so I can ask you to prom.” 

“You already did.” Will whimpered, sleep escaping him, which felt very frustrating. “Yesterday. At the inn.” 

“I want to ask you more...properly. Romantically.” With a _click,_ Will sensed that Nico had turned on the lamp on his nightstand. Nico then poked Will’s cheeks, and Will felt something tickling his nose. Finally opening his eyes, meeting Nico’s dark ones, Will looked down to see that Nico had brought a flower in between them; a long, green stem bursting with frilly, yellow petals. 

“It’s uh, a ranunculus.” Nico’s cheeks were pink. “Giving the flower to someone communicates, ‘I’m charmed by you’ or something like that. The etymology translates from Latin to ‘little frog’, though I’m not sure why.” Nico’s eyes widened at Will as he continued to stammer. “Sorry, I texted Seph and she told me all of that, I don’t know why I just shared all of that.”

“Nico.”

“Like literally all I did was text, ‘Hey, I’d like to get a flower for someone’ and she sent me like, ten essays on meaning and colors and I just picked the first one -”

“God you’re so dense.” Will plucked the flower from Nico’s hands, sitting up so he could admire it. “Of course I’ll go to prom with you, dummy.” He tucked his head down to Nico’s face and kissed his long nose. “I love it, thank you.”

“Um. Well. Good.” Nico seemed relieved, and Will laughed as he set the flower gently on the nightstand on his side, hunkering back down under the covers. He was certainly charmed by the gesture right back, but he really _did_ want to sleep. He told Nico as much, who obliged by turning off the light and cuddling closer to Will’s side. Until - 

“Will? One more question. Promise.”

 _Remember that you love this man_ , Will told himself as he willed himself to wake up more. “Yes, Nico?”

“Could I stay with you? After the New Years Eve party? I...my dad and Seph will be back and, well, I don’t want to avoid the house, but it would be much nicer to wake up with you than seeing my Dad immediately.”

Will hummed, frowning because he wished that he had thought of that idea sooner. “Of course you can, ‘little frog’,” Will kissed Nico’s cheeks as Nico sighed in exasperation at the nickname, “You're totally welcome. Though, I hope you’re not planning to avoid the house forever?”

“No, I’m not. I...I’d like to talk to Dad first, get it out of the way, I may have an idea. But knowing I can stay at your cabin will feel like something to look forward to and not stress about.” Nico said all this thoughtfully, tracing his fingers on Will’s bare arm. 

“Okay, Nico. Just let me know how I can help.” Will yawned through his words, his eyes too heavy to keep open despite his best intentions. “I support you and all that, ya know.” He mumbled.

He vaguely remembered hearing Nico laugh and call Will a teasing name, before he drifted off to sleep. 

———

**December 31st; Early Morning**

**[Nico to: Unknown Number]**

_Hi Dad. Thanks for your message. I won’t be there when you get in, but I do think we should talk about what would be best moving forward._

_I’d like to meet you outside the house. I have a location in mind. It might seem a little odd, but I think it’s the right choice given what we need to discuss._

**[Unknown Number to: Nico]**

_Hello son. I can honor that request. Let me know when and where._

_(...)_

_(...)_

_(...)_

_I hope_

_(...)_

_Sorry, sent that on accident. I hope you and Hazel have what you need at the house - please be aware the staff come back for regular working hours on January 2nd._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading ;_;


	32. Prom 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, all! Hope this chapter makes up for it.

“Can we go outside?”

“ _What_?”

“Can we go _outside?”_

“WHAT?”

“CAN WE GO - ugh!” Nico rolled his eyes at Will, who hadn’t stopped bopping around on the designated dance floor inside the Mclean mansion. Music was blasting loud enough to make your organs feel like they were vibrating. Nico pointed between him and Will, and then to the sliding doors. Thankfully, Will understood, and he followed Nico’s lead out to the backyard. 

“Oh god, I can’t hear myself _think_ in there.” Nico complained, running his fingers through his hair. “Ech, and I’m sweaty. Gross.” 

“I think you look _lovely_.” Will smirked, hands in his pockets as he looked around the extensive backyard, complete with a pool, extravagant topiaries, and a small hedge maze. 

Plenty of party goers were outside as well, all at different levels of drunk. Will had opted not to drink much, knowing that the party would likely be overstimulating enough to have his wits compromised - Nico was proving to be a perfect boyfriend by going along with it too. “This way we won’t be _too_ tired when we get back to your place,” Nico had whispered to Will with his eyebrows raised (Will was grateful that the party was lit with multicolored lights so Nico couldn’t see the effect his words had on him). 

Everything certainly _looked_ amazing; Piper really was an artist for community gatherings of all sizes and themes. There were streamers hanging everywhere throughout the house, and balloon arches, and a photo booth. There were even long paper banners that had painted on phrases like “PROM NIGHT” or “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”, making Will feel like he was back in high school. People had really committed to the theme as well. There was a variety of gowns and blazers and tuxedos, some fancier than others. Will even saw a few people with corsages, which he found impressive.

He and Nico had agreed to participate in the theme, for Piper’s sake, but they weren’t _too_ committed. For starters, neither of them had a suit; Nico didn’t remember the last time he had owned one, and Will had thrown his away, as he had picked up a habit of associating them with funerals. Thinking that they might as well have a little fun with it, Will managed to pull two blazers from the camp’s costume closet to stand in for suits. Nico was a little horrified when he saw the loud fabrics, but Will insisted that they could pull them off. He offered Nico a black blazer he had procured, which was embroidered with gold crescent moons, suns, and stars. Since Nico paired it with a black shirt and black jeans, it didn’t look _too_ out there - and Will was delighted at how _artsy_ and _edgy_ it made Nico look. Naturally, that meant that Will got to wear the baby blue _floral_ blazer, which he didn’t mind at all, and an orange tie to go with it (the only neutral things he was wearing were a white dress shirt and tan slacks - he had chosen to wear orange sneakers as well). Nico had rolled his eyes and tried to get Will to, as he put it, “take off _one_ of the offensive colors”, but Will refused, insisting that he looked great. By the way Nico smiled when he thought Will wasn’t looking, he must have secretly agreed. 

“Yes, I look lovely, and you,” Nico pointed at Will, “look like a dandelion.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Nico!”

“It’s something about the hair and the leaf patterns.” Nico motioned his hands down Will’s outfit as he explained, and Will stepped forward to lock him in a hug. “Ugh, Will, you’re pinning my arms down.”

“That’s not a mistake, trust me.” Will laughed as Nico squirmed to break free, and he leaned in to brush his lips against Nico’s neck. “In fact, maybe I’ll do something similar tonight?” Nico had stopped moving, and his breath hitched when Will took a moment to place a few kisses just below his ear. _Nico may not like being sweaty, but he smells amazing,_ Will thought as he nibbled Nico’s earlobe, causing the darker haired boy to gasp softly. 

“ _Will_ ,” Nico whined quietly, and he ducked his head into Will’s shoulder, “N-not here.”

“Just giving you a preview!” Will chirped as he released Nico from his grasp. Nico frowned at him, though whether it was for teasing him or for the sudden lack of contact, it was unclear. 

“Good lord, you’re not making out in my backyard, are you?” Leo’s voice interrupted them, and Will spun to see their friend grinning suggestively, Caly holding his arm. 

“Fuck off, Valdez.” Nico crossed his arms, blushing. Leo just laughed. 

“How I missed your charm, Neeks.” Leo quipped, and then he took a few steps forward with Caly, who gave Will an amused look. She looked incredibly beautiful in a long white dress, her hair long and curled. “I’m just giving Caly a tour of the outdoors.”

“And we might scare some other people trying to get handsy.” Caly teased, as she and Leo continued their promenade and left Will and Nico in an embarrassed state. 

“Leo’s boost of confidence from having a girlfriend is annoying.” Nico finally muttered under his breath, huffing when Will gave him a look. 

“Be happy for him.” Will instructed, and Nico waved his hand at Will as if to say, _Yeah yeah_. “Let’s go back inside - I’m not done dancing with you yet.” Will grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and practically dragged him back inside to join the swarm of hyper, drunk, dancing party guests. Nico only agreed to more dancing if he could lose the jacket, taking Piper up on her offer to stow it away somewhere safe. Will didn’t complain - in fact, he followed suit. 

\----

“You guys look _so_ cute!” Annabeth said close to Will’s ear. Will and Nico had stopped dancing long enough to meander into the kitchen, in search of hydration and snacks. There were pizzas of various types littered around the room, still in their grease-stained boxes, but there also was a dessert table laden with more treats than it could probably hold. Will was popping a brownie bite into his mouth when Percy and Annabeth found them. 

“Aw, thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” Will gestured to Annabeth’s jumpsuit, which managed to look very cute, even though it was way more fashion-forward for Angel River fashion. Annabeth really did have a chic side, when she had the opportunity to flaunt it. She really did seem to be made for the city, though Will kept that thought to himself. He knew life didn’t work linearly like that. 

“Thanks.” Annabeth looked over to Percy and Nico, who were in an animated discussion now, both stuffing cookies in their mouths. “It’s nice to see them getting along again.” 

“I’m sure it is.” Will smiled; though he hadn’t known what Nico and Percy’s friendship was like when they were young, the moody unease that Nico had around Percy seemed to be lifting with more and more interaction, and that was something Will enjoyed seeing just as much as Annabeth. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

Annabeth snorted. “Honestly, probably high school gossip. They’re like bantering chickens about all of that.”

“Really? I mean, they’re older now.” 

“Trust me.” Annabeth pulled Will over to Nico and Will, who paused to smile at their significant others. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Nico was about to explain to me why he told me multiple times that Mitchell was _not_ hitting on him in our junior year PE class,” Percy grinned, and pointed down the hall. “When in fact, we just spotted him sucking face with Nico’s _clone_.” 

“That is _not_ my clone, it’s just a dude with dark hair in a black t-shirt, Jackson.” Nico swatted Percy in the shoulder. 

“This does not change the fact that he was _into you_!” Percy laughed, and looked at Will with an exaggerated concerned expression. “Be careful Will - I think I saw Mitchell spot Nico, and he looked like he was working up the courage to come over here.”

“He was _not_ -”

"I think I can manage." Will smiled at Nico's scowl. Percy and Annabeth laughed at them both. As they continued their conversation, Frank joined them, red cup in hand and looking excited. 

"You guys, you won't believe this," Frank pointed from where he came, "But I just saw Mitchell's boyfriend, and you know who he's a dead ringer for? Nico di - Ow! What the hell, man!?" Frank looked around in confusion as Will, Percy, and Annabeth were leaning on each other, wheezing through their hysterics, as Nico tried to stomp on Frank's other foot. 

\-----

“I hate parties.” Nico moaned, clutching onto Will’s neck with both hands. He was leaning into Will far too strongly, and Will couldn’t get his footing. “Carry me.” He ordered. 

“Nico, I’m going to fall, cut it out!” Will tried to straighten up, Nico being a ridiculous deadweight. 

“Can’t. So tired. Too much social interaction.” As Nico complained and Will fussed over trying not to fall over, Hazel breezed by, raising an eyebrow at Will over the sight. 

“Is he always like this?” Will asked with an amused frown. Hazel seemed to consider this for a moment. 

“Look Will, I won’t say you’ve shacked up with a hermit, but…”

“Shaddup, Hazel.” Nico grumbled after his sister as she left them. He lifted his head to look at Will, a desperate look in his eyes. “Do we _have_ to stay till midnight?” 

“Oh my god. It’s a _New Year’s Eve_ party. And you’ve never been to prom!” Will rolled his eyes, finally wrapping his hands around Nico’s waist. “Staying till midnight is kind of a given?” 

“Will _please_ , I’m so partied out. I’ve been hanging out with people every day, and I used to go weeks without having to have a conversation with a person.” Nico looked wistfully at the throng of laughing and dancing people amongst them, as if he was imagining them all fading away. 

Will shook his head. He didn’t love the idea of Nico being cloistered away from human contact for weeks on end, but he also wasn’t ignorant - Nico was a pure introvert at heart. He probably _was_ pretty tired, and it wasn’t like Will absolutely needed to get more of his fill of the party. “Okaaay,” he relented, and Nico looked up in surprise, “We can go, but I need to figure out where our jackets went. They’re camp property.”

“They’re _costumes_.” 

“Come on - help me find them.” 

They wandered through the halls of the Mclean mansion, and didn’t have any luck on the ground level. On the second level, they had tried multiple rooms but found them locked. 

“Piper and Leo made sure people couldn’t get inside the more important rooms.” Nico mused, jiggling a door handle.

“Or, people are inside and locked the doors for...reasons.” Will waggled his eyebrows at Nico, who rolled his eyes in disgust. “I mean, there are quite a lot of bedrooms in here. More than your house.”

“ _Ew_ , Will, Piper and Leo don’t run a brothel, Will. They always did this for high school parties. It’s a precaution, what with Tristan’s fancy celebrity stuff just lying around.” Nico pointed down the hall from where they had just searched. “Like, he has a whole room of just his _costumes_ in that room on the left.” 

“ _What_ ?!” Will raced back to the door, trying in vain to open it, the handle rigid in his hand. “Even the _King of Sparta_ stuff? With the shield and everything? Damn! I’d kill to see that.” 

Nico was staring at Will with an odd look on his face. “Didn’t know you were such a _big fan_ , Solace.” He smirked, and Will blushed. 

“ _King of Sparta_ may have...awakened something in me as a child.” He admitted, and Nico began laughing so hard that he _guffawed_ , which normally would be a delightful sound if Will wasn’t so embarrassed. 

“ _What_ about that movie -” Nico sputtered. 

“Something about...the...togas.” Will crossed his arms, wondering what compelled him to share these details. “Help me find these damn coats, di Angelo, or I’m dragging you back to the dance floor!”

Still chuckling, Nico guided Will to another door, and this time it opened. It took a moment, after hearing a shriek, to register that the room was occupied. Inside the room, in a fairly compromising position, were Jason and Piper. Will’s heart soared, but Nico sounded like his heart was going into cardiac arrest. 

“ _What are you two doing?!”_ Nico squeaked, and Will realized the initial shriek had come from Nico. To their credit, Piper and Jason did not look ashamed. In fact, they both looked...sort of proud? 

“Hey Nico,” Jason beamed, “Piper was just interviewing me for a camp position.” As the words died in Nico’s throat, Jason then looked to Will. “Looks like we might be coworkers this summer, Will!”

Piper gave Will a big grin as Nico balked at Jason’s announcement. Once Nico stalked forward to retrieve their coats (which Piper and Jason were definitely hooking up on, Will noticed), Will gave his friend two thumb’s up and an enthusiastic nod of approval. Unfortunately, Nico spun around in time to catch Will in the act, and Will’s face fell under his boyfriend’s dark glare. 

“I…You two...” Nico trailed off, turning to point at Jason and Piper, then shook his head. “Just...uh...be good to her...him...whichever.” He blinked rapidly, as if he wasn’t sure who he was addressing to be good, his high school friend or his college friend. 

“Thanks for your blessing, Nico.” Piper said in a singsong voice. Nico practically facepalmed like a cartoon character. 

“Let’s _go_.” Nico whispered desperately to Will, who mimed a round of applause at Jason and Piper as he followed Nico out. 

\---

“So, Bucky’s not actually _dead_ , right?”

It took multiple conversations, a shower, a cup of tea and warm milk, and half of a superhero movie to finally get Nico’s mind off Jason and Piper’s union. Even though Will confirmed with Nico that the darker haired boy _knew_ that Jason and Piper were clearly into each other, he couldn’t seem to process his friendships colliding in such an... _intimate_ way. 

“We’re going to have to finish the movies to find out.” Will was amused at Nico’s investment in the fictional characters, but grateful for the topic change, running his fingers through Nico’s clean, silky hair. “By the way...it’s two minutes to midnight.”

“Oh! Right,” Nico paused the movie, and shifted so he was facing Will on the couch, crossing his legs underneath him, “We kiss at midnight, right?”

“I mean, yes, but we can kiss _after_ midnight too. Or before.” Will leaned forward and kissed Nico softly, and pressed their foreheads together. A thought occurred to Will, and he posed it before he got too distracted. “Hey… do you want to talk about tomorrow, at all?”

Nico tensed at the mention of meeting his father tomorrow, but then sighed, lacing his fingers through Will’s. “Not particularly. But maybe we should.” 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Will offered, trying to keep his protectiveness subdued. His heart melted at Nico’s small, sad smile. 

“No, it’s okay Will. This is something I’ve got to do alone, the first time.” 

“Okay.” Will exhaled, nuzzling the side of Nico’s face. “I trust you.” 

“I trust you too.” Nico replied, as he returned Will’s affection, cupping his freckled cheek in his hand. “Will?” He asked softly.

“Yes?”

Nico swallowed, looking like he was fighting off a bad feeling. “Can you...I do want to check in. In the morning. But right now I’d...I’d like you to help me forget about all of that...And help me forget that I just saw Jason and Piper practically _doing it_ over our coats.” He shuddered at that, and Will chuckled along with him. “I’d like it if you kissed me _after_ midnight, too, you know?”

“Of course, Nico.” Pulling back to glance at the time, he took Nico’s face in both hands, and whispered, “Happy New Year,” before pressing his lips to his. 

\----

Will used to think he knew a lot about sex. 

His mom had given him some books to read and time to ask questions when he was younger. She even did some research herself, and bought new books, when Will came out to her later on (an embarrassing birthday memory, to say the least). His school’s health class was relatively open and informative, and he didn’t giggle or shy away from topics like ‘changing bodies’ and ‘new urges’ like his classmates did. In college he took his general education requirements in psychology and gender courses, and he learned even more about the emotions of sex - how desire could fluctuate, how attraction occurred, how sex was such a bigger umbrella that went beyond Hollywood’s depiction of heterosexual, missionary-style sex. Sex was complex, emotionally and physically speaking. It made enough sense to Will, even if he wasn’t getting any himself (Cecil was always happy to fill him in on what happened during his dates, perhaps a little _too_ much, since it seemed like Lou Ellen was here to stay). Medical school provided an extensive look into all the technical ways the body could (and couldn’t) perform. Will was quite certain that he never would have to even _have_ sex to be able to answer all the questions he could be asked about it. 

Of course, he was wrong, but how was he to know that? 

With a partner, with Nico, all of Will’s knowledge seemed to fly out the window, his brain fuzzy as he began focusing on what he could touch, taste, and feel. For a quiet introvert, Nico was actually quite vocal, filling their time together with moans, heavy breathing, and whispered _yes’s_ that made Will dizzy with want. He didn’t know you could become _lost_ in a person, during sex. Nico was like a painting Will was restoring; each clothing item removed was like discovering a brighter color under the old varnish, touching Nico’s hair, or his skin, or his mouth, provided a variety of textures he couldn’t find anywhere else. 

Will didn’t know that _he_ could be so taken with someone in this way, so open and vulnerable, as long as it was with Nico, that is. Nails on Will’s back made him pull closer, kiss harder, and when Nico’s hand would dip below the waistband of Will’s pants, Will forgot his own name momentarily. Will had not known that talking about what you wanted, or what your partner wanted, was like an ongoing conversation, filled with little slips and funny noises and giggling. Will knew enough to know that there were bound to be errors along the way, with sex, but he didn’t know how _safe_ he could feel with someone while figuring it all out. He knew he was lucky; he knew not everyone had that experience. 

Also, no one told Will that there would be so much to _see_. Will could stare at Nico’s face the entire time they were intimate - while Nico often shut his eyes, losing himself in the moment, Will forced his own to stay open, watching how every sensation seemed to reveal a new side to his partner he wouldn’t see in any other setting. For instance, Nico got a particularly pink flush in his cheeks when things were really heating up. He bit his lip when he wanted to try to stay quiet, which often failed. When Will was doing something particularly right ( _‘Right_ _there, yes_ ’, Nico would say) his raven haired partner would look upwards, into everything and nothing, as if he was launching into the stars above them. And Nico always came back down to Will, his expression and movements sleepy, cuddly, soft, despite how pointy and angled his body was. Will would take in how Nico fit perfectly against him, how his chest would even out to a slow rising and falling. Will didn’t know this could be more than experiencing pleasure and excitement. He didn’t know love could feel so present in the room, so obvious in Nico’s eyes and their touches. 

Will found it a bit prudent, to be so set on the first man he ever slept with, but then again...what did he know? So far, he loved what he was learning with Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and commenting!! Also I've got the chapter limit so you know how far we are from the end ;_;


	33. We'll See How It Goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider this like...part 1 of the Nico-Hades saga, haha

“I’m sorry I never came to your funeral.”

Talking to a gravestone is the last thing Nico expected himself to do, though it was also the first time he had ever spoken out loud, to Bianca. He studied the various ways different cultures connected with the dead; though he didn’t think it appropriate to adopt any as his own, speaking to Bianca here seemed universal...enough. He’d do his best to find quiet places in the span of college and city life, letting his internal monologue run in his head. 

There were just so many times that Nico was lonely, missing his sister. He didn’t know the last time he spoke to her when she was alive  _ was _ the last time, so, inside his mind, he just simply didn’t stop. 

Nico could fill a library with all the things he had logged away to tell Bianca, knowing she’d never actually read them. He felt a little silly speaking out loud, because it wasn’t like she would actually  _ hear _ him, either. 

_ “Do you really believe she won’t hear you, Nico?”  _

Will had challenged Nico earlier that morning, as Nico distracted himself by counting the freckles on Will’s arms. Will had held Nico tightly in his bed, letting Nico recite his thoughts about speaking to his father at Bianca’s grave, and about arriving early so he could have some time to adjust to the space. When he admitted he wasn’t really sure what he would  _ do _ , once he was there, alone, Will was the one who had suggested talking out loud to Bianca. 

Nico had tensed at Will’s pushback. He wondered if Will spoke into the silences himself, to his mother and brothers. He didn’t want Will to think he was critiquing the method. 

_ “I guess I don’t know what I believe.” _ Nico admitted, shyly. 

_ “Well, then maybe that makes it all the more important for you to try it.”  _ Will replied, without any hint of hurt or disapproval. 

So here he was, staring at the marble headstone before him. He remembered Hades presenting photos of possible options, and the final product seemed to align with his fathers’ vision. It was simple, the carvings reading Bianca’s full name, noting her as a daughter, a sister, a friend. There were delicate carvings that reminded Nico of stars, and they were filled with gold and stones that sparkled subtly, in just the right light. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you flowers - some brother I am.” Nico nodded towards the white lilies, fresh. He wondered who they had come from, but he figured more people visited Bianca here than he knew. Maybe it was someone in his family, or Percy and Annabeth, or Thalia...who could say? A lot of people loved Bianca. He told her this, out loud, now. 

“I think I’m taller than you are now. You would have hated it - I’d be able to give you all the headlocks I wanted. Also, I have a boyfriend now - Will. You’d...you’d like him. Everyone likes him. I actually, uh,  _ love _ him, if you can believe that.” He chuckled, but he couldn’t ignore how scratchy his throat sounded, how uncomfortable he felt staring at this slab of stone that held all that remained of his sister beneath the earth. He felt himself breaking. 

“You were always so easy to love.” Nico said, his smile twisting downwards, and he took a breath, trying not to cry. “I don’t know if I am...but I’m trying to believe I  _ deserve it _ , at least.” He ran his hand through his hair. It was getting longer. He remembered how Bianca used to help him brush it, how she would tease him for basically having a mullet all through junior high. At the memory, he choked on a sob. 

Nico learned about death growing up, and he studied it in school. He could recite burial rites from memory, he could explain the intricacies of  _ Dia de los Muertos,  _ or the week-long mourning period of sitting Shiva. He knew about cremation, burial, mummification. He knew a lot about death, he thought. 

What he didn’t know, what his family and professors and books didn’t tell him, is how the littlest, sometimes asinine things would be what brought the tears back. It would be the way a song started its chorus, or the smell of a fresh jar of peanut butter, or a girl with just the right olive-toned skin and dark eyes, and Nico would be reeling. Would he be reeling forever? Sometimes, when the memories would envelop him in a stifling hug, he wasn’t so sure the suffocating feeling of grief would ever stop. 

“Look, Bianca, I...I don’t know what I’m doing, here. I don’t even know if  _ this _ is helping me.” He bent down, deciding to sit in front of the headstone, reaching out a hand to brush his fingers against the cool marble. “Here’s the thing - I really needed you, Bianca. I needed you not to die. Things have been...well, it’s been fucked up, without you here, and everyday I’m heartbroken about it, but somedays I’m so fucking  _ mad at you _ . And I don’t know what to do with it. I didn’t know. So I left and just stayed away. And that didn’t work, and now I’m back…”

He sighed, pulling his hand back. 

“But I...I’ve got to talk to Dad today, and I figured if there’s  _ any _ chance we live in a universe where you can help with that, well...I need it.” He felt tears on his cheeks as he whispered, “I need  _ you _ . I thought I would always need you...b-but I’ve got to find out a way to... _ want  _ you, and  _ miss _ you...and then find other ways to take care of what I need, while I’m still here.” 

He kept his head bent, letting the tears run down his long nose, watching how they disappeared with little splashes into the grass and dirt. He was thankful he came here an hour before he told his father to come; this wasn’t a moment he wanted to share with anyone, really. The most he had allowed was for Will to drop him off at the entrance of the cemetery, allowing for a slow, languid kiss and a promise to return the moment Nico called him for a pick up. 

\----

He had calmed down, after a while, to look up at the expanse of sky hanging over him and his sister. Nico heard his father approach before he saw him - Nico had years of practice listening for his parents’ footsteps, trying to hide the mischief he and his sisters had come up with. 

Nico didn’t move to look at his father. He didn’t really want to get up, but he realized it would be odd to look up at his father while they spoke. Unsure of what to do, he cleared his throat, and tried for a formal greeting. 

“Hello.” Nico said. 

“Hello.” His father’s greeting was quiet, more solemn. Still, Nico did not turn. He felt frozen to the spot. Even more so when he heard the sound of his father bending down to sit alongside him, giving some of the classic noises an older man makes when his body is not what it used to be. Then again, it’s hard for Nico to think of his father as anything but  _ old _ . He never was youthful, not outwardly, at least. Nico’s earliest memories of his father still involved stiff dress shirts and proper dining etiquette. 

“It’s a nice headstone.” Nico offered, since his father had silently complied with sitting on the cold ground. Hades gave a soft sigh, though it wasn’t his usual one he reserved for Nico, of exasperation and frustration. 

“Thank you. As you remember, it was difficult to pick the right one. I think this suits her, though.” Hades was sitting cross-legged, and his hands were still properly laced together in his lap. Nico could only stare at his father’s knees, too nervous to make eye contact, too thrown by how similar their legs looked side-by-side. Nico thought he took more after his mother, but perhaps that was only in color and shading, and his skeleton was just a copy of his father’s. 

Nico nodded, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Hades didn’t let the silence sit for long. 

“I owe you an apology.” Hades said it plainly, like he was pointing out the weather or the color of the sky, but it made Nico whip his head up to look at him. He had his guesses on what his father might say, where this conversation might go, but this wasn’t it. Had his father ever apologized to him before? 

“Um,” Nico stammered, “What for?”

Hades briefly met Nico’s quizzical look before staring back at Bianca’s grave in front of them, and answered. 

“ I was...am not a good father. When you were younger, it was easier - I know you probably won’t believe me, but I found you to be a delightful young boy. You were always so curious and... _ excited _ by the smallest things, like a butterfly or rain or dogs. I never really knew how to relate but...I did enjoy watching you.” 

Nico hadn’t remembered the last time he hung on his father’s every word. It was strange, he thought, that he couldn’t remember the last lengthy time he and his father had spoken, aside from fighting, which didn’t feel like it counted. It was odd to hear Hades say so much, the words tumbling out of him as easily as a breeze slips through a crack in the doorway. 

“Bianca always helped with the distance - she could convince you to go to bed when I couldn’t, or get you to calm down when you cried. I confess, I relied on her quite a bit, our first few years in Angel River. Eventually Seph, and Hazel too - I saw how you could all love each other well, and I was once again happy to sit back and watch. I’m much better, I think, working as the architect, building around what my family needs. I...don't prefer to seek them out to ask what actually is needed, beyond food and shelter.” Hades tapped his long fingers against his knee. “Then you got older, and I  _ still _ couldn’t relate to you, but you were old enough to  _ notice,  _ and _ care _ about it. I didn't know what to do with how angry you seemed at me, all of the time. Then Bianca..." Hades cleared his throat, the closest Nico saw his father to breaking. 

"Eventually...you were hurting, and you were angry, and I felt...envious that I couldn't do the same. I couldn't fall apart when everyone else was. Then, you said I was a terrible father, and I was angry, because you were right..." Hades looked away from Nico then, "Then, you left. And I'm not a fool - I knew I had burned the bridge with you for good. So...I gave you the only thing I knew how to give - space.”

“That wasn’t what I needed.” Nico interjected, feeling surprised at how open Hades was being, how much more vulnerable it made Nico feel at his father's renditions of the past. 

Hades turned his face to look at Nico’s now, his dark eyes nearly black. He looked even older up close, Nico thought - there was gray where it hadn’t been before, in his father’s eyebrows and the hair that curled around his ears. 

“I was the child. You were the parent. You...You could have tried harder. You should have.” Nico swallowed past the lump in his throat. He felt like a violin being tuned too tightly, his body tense and his voice snapping. 

_ I will not cry, I will not cry _ . 

“I...I couldn’t have done anything else. But  _ you _ could have. You could have  _ been there _ for me.”

He wasn’t just talking about his childhood anymore, not the early years, at least - Nico was referring to Bianca, and the warzone that he and his father had created in the chasm she left behind in her death. He could tell Hades knew they were broaching the subject of his sister, but for once, Nico didn’t care, or try to stop it. He stared at the tips of his sneakers, holding his breath now that he had spoken the truth out loud - the truth that he clawed his way to through sickness and in therapy. He thought of all the things his father had said to him in anger, all the times Nico thought about calling home for money, for help, for _family_ , and how he would stop himself every time, not believing he'd find support on the other side. As he tried to slow his breathing (when did his heart start beating so  _ fast _ ?), his father only stared back at him.

“You were the parent. I was the child. It wasn’t fair.” Nico said again, unable to find new words, new explanations for the sudden outpouring of pain and grief that was beginning to take over him.

“You’re right, Nico. It wasn’t fair.” Hades echoed.

“It wasn’t...It’s not…It’s not fair _. _ ” Nico stared back at Bianca’s headstone. 

_ Daughter. Sister. Friend _ . 

The strings inside Nico split. 

“It’s not  _ fair _ .”  Nico's voice cracked, and he pressed his hands to his eyes, hanging his head low as his shoulders shook, repeating “It’s not fair” over and over again. 

As Nico cried, he felt his fathers’ hand reach his shoulder. It was solid, and warmer than he expected. Nico’s gut twisted, remembering how Hades had made the same gesture when he was forced to leave Bianca at the hospital. When Nico saw her body for the last time. 

“She was all I _had_.” Nico felt like his heart could burst from speaking the truth in such a raw way, in front of his father, who he was used to hiding so much from. He could barely look at Hades. He could barely see, the tears making his eyesight blurry. " _And she's dead_." 

“I know, Nico. I know. I’m sorry.” Hades said quietly, not taking his hand off of Nico’s shoulder, but also not coming any closer. 

It was possible twenty minutes had passed, or maybe even an hour, before Nico calmed himself down for the second time that morning in front of Bianca’s gravestone. Nico couldn’t be sure of time anymore. Hades hand left his shoulder, and Nico almost turned to see where he had gone, almost missing the contact.  Instead, he stared at his hands in his lap, until Hades placed a small metal container in the grass, by Nico’s knee. It was silver, with a painting of a white rose on the lid. Nico slowly, hesitantly, reached for it, feeling the small weight it carried in the palm of his hand. 

“What -” Nico hiccuped, and tried to steady his breath, “What is this?”

“It’s Bianca.”

Nico’s head snapped up to look at Hades in surprise. His father gave a small shrug.

“Well...it’s a part of her.” Hades was staring at the little box with a forlorn expression on his face. “I asked to have some of her ashes put aside, at the last minute. I think...I think on some level, I did it because you were right to want a piece of her to honor all on your own. I just didn’t know when that time would come that I could give her to you.” 

Nico held the box in both hands now, staring at it in awe. How such a simple thing could hold any part of Bianca was beyond him. It was a terrifying and thrilling feeling, to hold this. He was stunned his father had done such a thing. 

“I know this doesn’t...change anything. How we...how I've been.” Hades finally said, now wearing a mask of steel resolve. “If I could make that up to you, I would, but I can’t. But if you want, I…” He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable, “I’d like to try to make up for things moving forward, Nico.” Seeming  to assume Nico’s shocked silence communicated a ‘no’, Hades held up his hands in defeat. “Nico, I...I want my children to be happy, even if that means...even if that means I can’t be in your life. I would understand if that's what you choose. But I...I do want to try." 

Nico looked at his father, wondering how this broken, sad man, had ever seemed scary to him. He wondered if he could ever get to a point where he looked at his father with love, even a complicated one.

“I’m not sure I believe you - there’s still a lot I don’t think you realize, how you’ve hurt me.” Nico admitted, finally, and he ignored how his father’s shoulders sank, just a bit, “But...for what it’s worth, I’d be willing to try and see how it goes.” 

Nico felt something odd blooming in his chest. It felt a lot like pride. Not in his father, but in himself. 

_ What an odd and lucky feeling this is _ , Nico thought.

“I’d like to stay in the house, but...some things need to change.” Nico pulled at his fingers nervously, but reminded himself to stand his ground. “We have to talk about some...boundaries that I need. I’m an adult now, and I’d like to be treated as one.” He paused, then corrected himself. “I’d like to be  _ respected _ as one.” 

Hades, to his credit, didn’t speak, his expression neutral, curious. Nico couldn’t remember the last time his father was curious about him. He became overwhelmed, suddenly, by how much he couldn’t recall about his father’s kindness, by how far they clearly had to go in their relationship before anything would feel steady. 

“We’ll see how it goes.” Nico said again. 

“We’ll see how it goes.” His father echoed. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close @_@ Also I know most movies make it so everything gets out in the open like, during the first conversation, but that hasn't been my real life experience so I'm not making it Hades' and Nico's either. They've got a long way to go (but that doesn't mean I won't end this story with some magic and fuzzy feelings!) Thanks for reading!


	34. How it Goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t edit this AT ALL I will later but i wanted to put this chapter out ASAP bc it was a labor of love

_ Healing does not occur in a straight line.  _

_ Reconciliation does not happen without reparation.  _

_ Forgiveness does not happen all at once. _

_ Instead it goes like this:  _

\----

Still at the cemetery, Nico has clarified with Hades that he will not leave the di Angelo household, or Angel River, just yet. He will have no curfew, no mandatory dinners, no demands on what he should do with his time. Nico would like them to try to rebuild a relationship organically, without pressure. 

Nico also asks for his college trust fund, the one that Hades promised his children when they turned eighteen, the one that Nico never got to use. If anything, Nico plans to use it to pay his debt to the university, to try and give some semblance of wiping the slate clean. And his father owes him that much, surely, but it still feels odd to ask for it. 

Hades, surprisingly, agrees to everything. Nico can’t tell if his father looks relieved, or defeated. All that Hades asks, after Nico’s list, is that Nico alerts them if he is going to stay at ‘your baker-boyfriend’s’ home, so they don’t wonder where he is. 

After a few sputters, Nico agrees, red in the face. He doesn’t even ask how Hades  _ knows _ about Will, and he decides not to ask.

\----

_ Will: U got this love! _

Later that evening, the di Angelo family eats dinner altogether, and Will is texting Nico various encouragement that Nico glances at periodically, under the table. 

_ Will: im so proud of u :-)  _

Hades clears his throat, asking Nico if he ever finished  _ Friday Night Lights _ . There is a small flash of disappointment in his father’s eyes, when Nico reveals that he did, in fact, finish the series a week ago. Nico is quick, and seasoned to his father’s minute-facial expressions, and he stares at his plate, feeling suddenly guilty. 

_ Will: do u want to call me after dinner ? _

Seph and Hazel inquire about the show, having never seen it before, and that gives Nico the idea to propose that they watch the first episode that night, together. He claims he doesn’t mind seeing it again, that Will may even want to join, since he knows the blonde loved hearing the reactions from someone watching it for the first time. There is a faint smile that lingers on his father’s face, as they all sit in front of the television that evening (Nico snuggled safely into Hazel’s side, Seph leaning her head on Hades’ shoulder). Nico catches the smile, and wonders about it, long past when everyone has turned in for the night.

_ Will: Try to sleep, Nico. i love you xoxo _

**\----**

Will takes a few panicky breaths in his new office. Because Angel River is a small community, the elementary, junior high, and high school are relatively close to each other, almost arranged in a triangle - there is actually a separate building that the office staff and nurses work out of, right in the center of the different schools. Though everyone in the building works with a variety of ages, Will is only responsible for the elementary group (including their 6th grade sex education week, which he actually is a little excited for, despite Nico’s shuddering at the thought). A friendly, quiet man named Chiron works with the high schoolers, and basically runs the area - he, Will, and another part-time nurse all share the junior highers that come in, which is good, since junior high often brings the weirdest and most time consuming of injuries (when Will arrived in the morning, Chiron was talking to a boy who had apparently glued his hands together in woodshop). All in all, it seems like a fun place, until Will is left alone.

After a few tours and introductions, he’s trusted to hang out for his first real shift. He tries to tell himself that there will be plenty of time to get situated, that all of his medical training is sure to come back to him once he’s put to work. 

That’s what Nico tries to remind him, anyway. 

Will doesn’t do well with dread. It makes him distracted, fidgety, and, if Nico’s weighing in, a little snippy. Will insists he’s just nervous, that he’s worried it won’t be a good fit, and Nico tries in vain to get Will to expand on the thought. 

Whatever. It’s just a part-time gig anyway, and Will has the camp. Surely he can ditch this job if it really doesn’t suit him. 

(What Will doesn’t say, because he is too scared to say it out loud, is maybe he will jump back into medicine and realize that he doesn’t like it at all, that it all really was just wrapped in his hero-worship of his father. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?). 

Sitting on a stool, fiddling with some bandages in front of him, Will begins to feel like maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he can call Chiron back and quit on the spot.

He doesn’t get the chance, because suddenly a school-aide bursts into the office with a little second grader, who is sporting a terribly bloody nose from a tether-ball competition during recess. It takes Will a bit of time to get the boy cleaned up - during the minutes it takes to wipe up the blood, find ice, and try to find something clean from the school’s supply of PE t-shirts and shorts, Will tries to asks all of the questions he can think of, because the boy looks like he’s going to faint from all of the commotion.

Will learns that the students’ name is Thomas (but goes by Tommy), and that he has an older sister named Holly, and a rabbit named Jasper. He wanted a dog this Christmas, but did not have such luck. He thinks he will try asking again, for his birthday, which is in exactly two and a half months, when he will be eight. He thinks eight is a very responsible age for owning a dog, and he and his sister can share chores for it and keep Jasper in a separate room. Will replies that he’s impressed with all the thought Tommy has put into this plan, and that seems to spark some pride in the little second grader. He smiles broadly at Will, and asks him what kind of dog is his favorite, and quickly adds that his favorite are beagles. 

It’s this grin that makes Will realize that he’s done a good job; Tommy is not only patched up but he seems chipper, the injury long forgotten. It’s Tommy’s sweet, “Bye Doctor Solace!” when the aide comes to take him back to class, that makes Will understand that he’s exactly where he needs to be. 

**\----**

The Christmas market, and the giant tree that came with it, is gone, and Angel River sleepily rolls into a new year. Suddenly, in a blink, it’s the beginning of February. Nico is usually with Will, most nights at least. Nico soaks up all the free time with his boyfriend he can get, sad that they aren’t working together anymore. Hanging out turns into sharing meals, which leads to watching a movie or seeing their friends, which leads to sleeping at Will’s cabin. Neither Will nor Nico complain. 

During the day, he is actually still at the bakery, though Will has now been working at the school for a month, no longer making batches of cookies, or folding croissant dough. Seph actually convinced Nico to keep working at the shop a bit longer, at least until he finds something else to do. He refuses to bake anything (without Will all the fun is gone), so Seph relents to letting Nico assist Grover with odd tasks, stocking supplies, and deliveries that he can accomplish on foot. At some point, Grover convinces Nico, on a particularly slow day, to come to the front, to learn how to pull espresso shots, and make lattes, at least so he can join in if things get crazy. 

Nico will claim that he is ready to get out of the gig, that he already has one foot out the door, but he actually, secretly, kind of loves the work. Grover is a bit of a nervous wreck all of the time, for a manager, but he is kind and nice to talk to. He’s passionate about the environment, and Nico finds that he actually  _ enjoys _ listening to people share with him about their day, their interests, their lives. At least in this setting, he gets to listen quietly and busy his hands with making drinks. 

It’s not a full-time gig, though, and while Nico has his trust fund to rely on, he doesn’t want to just putter around until the money runs out. The pleasantries of the coffee shop aside, he feels unsure what is ‘next’ for him, if life could ever be so linear and easy like that. Some days, it weighs on him, and he feels an inescapable sadness wash over him, worrying himself over and over again. 

Will is the best in these moments. He holds Nico, he lifts Nico’s face to make eye contact, and he goes on and on about all the wonderful things about Nico, purpose or not. Sometimes they’re more shallow things, to make Nico laugh (“You’ve got the hair of a sexy Grey’s Anatomy doctor”), but Will always sneaks something deep in there too (“You’re incredibly brave and strong, and you care about others being treated right.”). 

The words never fail to make Nico melt. He tries to memorize Will’s affirmations for the following day, when his partner is busy bandaging and consulting with little ones, and can’t spare more than a text here and there. Mr. D helps, once Nico finally starts unravelling his insecurities around this in therapy, and Hazel is always happy to cheer him on. 

He tries to water the small seed of hope inside his chest, the hope that his life might make sense again.

\---

Now that Nico and his father are under the same roof again, Will does not stay at the di Angelo household. In fact, he doesn’t go inside at all. 

Will meets Nico’s father in January. Well, actually, it’s more like he  _ sees _ Nico’s father, from the safety of Will’s truck as he’s picking Nico up or dropping him off at the di Angelo home. Sometimes Hades is also coming or going at the same time, but since Nico doesn’t give his father more than a grunt of greeting as he climbs into Will’s car, it’s not like he takes the time to introduce the two of them. Hades often gives Will curious looks, his eyes dark and glimmering, but moves on quickly. Will feels a bit afraid of him, if he’s being honest (but he’s only honest about that to Piper, who doesn’t help much, because she’s afraid of Hades too). 

Whenever Will runs into Seph, or Hazel, usually downtown or in the coffeeshop (where he likes to spend his days off ever since his boyfriend became an  _ adorable _ barista there), they both lament that he hasn’t come over again. Will always shifts nervously in his seat at that, and tries to laugh it away, saying he’s sure they’ll all get to connect soon. It’s not like he can plan such a thing. 

He tries to mention it to Nico, at the beginning of February, very passively, if he’s being honest. They’re at the video rental store, which is practically a historical landmark given that Angel River might be the only town with an up-and-running video store anymore. Will is trying to convince Nico that it’s time he began the Harry Potter series (Nico, to his credit, read the books, but avoided the movies. Prior to their dating, Will had claimed the movies were just as good, if not better, than the books, and he is actually a little amazed Nico didn’t kill him on the spot for that). 

While Nico looks at the first DvD, humming in thought, Will mentions that Hazel also really likes the movies, as he remembered from a conversation at one point in time. Maybe they could watch it at Nico’s house and invite Frank too? Like a double date?

“Mmm, no,” Nico says, not even glancing up, “Your cabin’s cooler anyway. We could invite them there?”

Will brushes the idea away quickly - his cabin is too tiny for four, that wouldn’t work, and Nico nods in agreement, frowning as he pulls out his phone and sends off a text. He eventually gets a message back, and smiles at Will. 

“Good news! Either Percy or Piper will host - then we can all hang out!”

As Nico fishes in his pocket to rent the first three movies of the franchise, Will tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut that maybe it has something to do with  _ him _ . Will is  _ great _ with parents - Sally and Paul Blofis were almost going to include him in their family Christmas photo, for gods’ sake. Nico knows Will is a great buffer, he has said just as much to him at the various social gatherings they’ve attended together. Will tries to push the feelings down; he doesn’t want to make Nico’s slow-going mend with his father about him. He knows it’s fragile with Nico’s father, so Will can be patient. 

Weeks later, Will runs into Frank at the coffeeshop. Will is waiting for Nico to wrap up a shift, and Frank is going to meet Hazel nearby but wanted to grab tea for the both of them. Will asks what Franks’ plans are for the evening, and Frank says he’s going to the di Angelo family dinners that happen every Friday - he’s been going for a couple of years now. He has the decency, at least, to look sorry when he sees how Will’s face falls into a frown. 

It turns out Will can _ not _ be patient any longer.

\----

It’s their first big fight, about Will spending time with Nico’s family. 

Nico wishes it had been over something more trivial, like what to do for dinner or how Nico’s snoring  _ maybe _ sometimes keeps Will from falling asleep right away. Something they could fight about and then dissolve into laughter, because the root of it all would be ridiculous. 

But, when Nico finishes his shift and approaches his boyfriend and his sister's boyfriend, he feels his smile slide slowly off of his face, because Frank abruptly leaves with a flustered goodbye, and Will looks  _ pissed _ . His truck becomes the unlucky battleground for their fight, clunking and creaking as Will begins driving aimlessly around, because they clearly haven’t decided if Nico is going to be spending the night at the cabin anymore or not. 

It’s not a ridiculous topic, it turns out, for either of them. 

Will feels left out, excluded, and hidden. Will is mad that Frank has been sharing meals with the di Angelo family for  _ years _ , and Will can’t get so much as an introduction. He feels embarrassed that Hades knows they’re dating, but Will hasn’t spoken so much as a hello to the man. He’s upset at how often Seph and Hazel are begging him to come over and how he has to awkwardly lie to avoid committing to anything. Nico’s father has to get to know Will eventually - what is the hold up? 

Nico feels defensive. First of all, Frank started coming over for dinner long before Nico came back to Angel River. And Hazel is  _ different _ . Nico’s only just getting to the point of surviving  _ occasional _ _ small talk _ with his father, who he was estranged from for  _ seven years _ . It’s  _ stressful _ to be around his father - why would he subject Will to that? Why did he have to share Will, the best part of his life, with his family? If Will wanted to forge his own relationships with Seph and Hazel, he could. His father would meet Will eventually - what is the big rush? 

Nico always thought that if he and Will fought, it would be a slightly more intense version of when either of them got grumpy about something. Otherwise, he hadn’t fathomed that they would ever be so opposite as to actually fight, like in the dramatic ways he would see in television or movies. 

Turns out Nico was dead wrong about that. 

Will talks with his hands, and fighting only makes his movements more erratic, picking up speed as his voice hitches. Will’s a pursuer; he seeks Nico out, he talks a lot, and he asks questions. Nico, on the other hand, takes more of a retreating approach, sinking deeper and deeper into anger until one wrong sentence from Will makes him explode. 

This means that after twenty minutes of this tense, heated dance, they’re both yelling. And crying. Nico didn’t know he was the type of person who would cry when he got angry at his partner. He’s too busy fighting with Will to be mortified. 

There’s lots of things said that they don’t actually mean.

_ “If this relationship is going anywhere -” _

_ “You’re being so paranoid about this-” _

_ “Are you embarrassed by me?” _

_ “Why aren’t you happy with just me?” _

They’re red-eyed and silent by the time Will pulls up to Nico’s house, barely giving audible goodbyes as Nico practically jumps out of the truck and stalks to his room. 

They don’t know it yet, but Nico is actually more nervous about the whole ‘not letting the sun set on anger’ concept than Will is. It’s why he arrives at Will’s cabin at midnight, shivering on the porch, telling the startled blonde-haired boy that he loves him, and he’s sorry, and Will cuts him off with a hug and apologies of his own.

Will comes to the next weekly di Angelo family dinner. Seph and Hazel, thrilled that Will is finally back in their company, convince him and Frank to stay late to watch a movie altogether, before the meal has even begun. Hades seems absolutely charmed by Will, to the point where he brings the boy back to his study to show off his small collection of vintage medical books that sit with the other treasures that Hades has collected over time. Hades and Will rejoin the group for the movie after a few moments. Nico can’t help but notice that Will has been given a glass of liquor that matches his fathers.

It’s baffling, and it sort of drives Nico crazy, especially because Will’s blue eyes sparkle with an, “I  _ told you _ that parents love me” sort of message. Then again, it sure beats fighting with Will. 

\----

Nico never wakes up early, unless he has a nightmare. Even then, he usually stays in bed, hoping to go back to a more peaceful sleep. But that doesn’t seem to be happening for him, so he wanders down to the kitchen at 6AM, in search of coffee and maybe a show to distract himself with. 

“Oh - good morning.”

He forgets, too late, that his father is always up at the  _ ungodliest  _ hours of the morning. Hades is finishing making a batch of coffee, though his mug already has some in it so it must be a second pot. Judging from his slightly damp hair and fresh suit, Nico also suspects his father got a workout and shower in hours before anyone had woken up. 

“Do you...would you like some coffee?” Hades gestures slowly to the open stool at the kitchen island, where an empty plate and glass sit; Hades must take his breakfasts more casually, in the kitchen, when no one else is around.

Reluctant, but in desperate need of coffee, Nico sits on the stool, accepting the freshly poured cup his father offers him. He wraps his hands around it, trying to resist downing the cup in one go. 

His father, thankfully, was never a chatty person, and this is no exception. Other than asking if Nico has any plans for the day (Nico shrugs in response), Hades seems happy to continue in his routine, transferring coffee to a travel mug and putting his plate in the sink for one of the staff to clean later. 

Hades does pause, however, at the doorway out of the kitchen, and turns to look at Nico, a strange look on his face.

“Did you...Did you do anything yet? With the ashes?” He almost looks nervous, like he knows he shouldn’t ask Nico this question. 

“Oh! Um. No. No I haven’t.” Nico is a bit thrown off by the question, but he doesn’t want the moment to be so awkward. “I’m still thinking about it.”

Hades nods, apparently satisfied with the answer. Nico speaks again before he can stop himself.

“Thank you, by the way.” He makes eye contact with his father, amazed by how their dark eyes must mirror the other back. “For saving them. For me.”

Hades nods again, and looks down, tapping his fingers against the doorway. Nico can’t read his expression from where he sits, and he wonders if he went too far, if he was too open before they were ready to be - 

“Will Solace is a very nice boy.” Hades says suddenly, and Nico almost choked on his coffee at the abrupt change in topic. “You might want to get a haircut, though. He seems a little too suburban for the rocker look, don’t you think?”

Now Nico’s mouth drops open - both at the insult and the fact that Hades has the slightest,  _ tiniest glimmer  _ of mirth in his expression, and it’s like a challenge, but not like the ones his father would use to goad Nico into a fight.

All Nico can do is rise to the occasion, right?

“For your information, Will thinks I’m quite hot.” Nico takes a long sip of his coffee and gives his father his best blank stare. “He even asked if I would grow my hair out  _ longer _ . You know, for grabbing -”

“Nevermind. Have a good day.” Hades says quickly, turning to leave. Nico can’t stop smirking for the rest of the morning, and when Hazel and Seph ask why, he just laughs. 

He tells Will later that day. Will is (rightfully) horrified. 

\----

Will finds the camp hiring process to be a little  _ too _ involved, but Percy gives him such a dark look when he says it out loud that Will’s resigned to suffer in silence. It’s just that the combination of phone screenings, video interviews, and local in-person interviews are beginning to wear on Will. He is getting tired of asking the same questions over and over again, and honestly, getting the same answers back. But Percy, Annabeth, and Piper all claim that being so selective helps the camp in the long run, so he grits his teeth and tries to grin as he shakes hands and nods along. 

It’s a late night meeting in early April, and with most of the counselors hired or in process of being hired, it’s time to talk about the core camp staff. Will heads the medical side of things, obviously, but he will need an infirmary assistant or two. Annabeth and Percy’s roles largely oversee the camp program and schedule, but they alternate so the other can enjoy being a counselor for a week, neither one of them wanting to relinquish their time spent bonding with a cabin. There are usually two counselor leads, but those have been filled by Piper and, much to Piper’s wide grin and deep blush, Jason Grace. Other roles need filling, however, like the Games & Activities lead, or the Kitchen lead, or the band, but Will and the team haven’t even sifted through those applications yet. Currently, there’s a slight panic because no one has applied to be the camp photographer yet, and it’s a  _ crucial _ job, according to Annabeth. 

“Parents use social media now,” she says as she pulls her hair into a ponytail, her eyes weary, “And they decide how to spend their money for their kids based on how often they get to see pictures of that money being used.” 

“The photographer has to try and capture every camper at least 2-3 times.” Piper explains to Will, frowning. “They spend the morning and lunchtime getting the shots, and it all gets uploaded to our social media by dinner time each night. The families and the kids eat it up. It’s crazy, but it’s a huge help for revenue and recruitment.” 

“Well…” Will feels bad; he’s not really sure how to help, and he’s so close to falling asleep in these meetings that it’s criminal. Not to mention Nico is waiting for him in his cabin and has sent Will a few...suggestive texts to encourage him to wrap up the meeting. “Is there anyone local you can hire?” He offers, and Piper and Annabeth shrug. Percy, however, seems to have an epiphany, his green eyes twinkling.

“Wait!  _ Nico _ always took pictures in high school! That was like, his thing.” He looks to Piper and Annabeth excitedly, who seem to be pondering the idea. “Would he be up for that, you think?”

“Well, it  _ is _ kind of a nice fit for him - he can interact with the camp but not be the center of attention. The photographer does a lot of background work.” Piper drums her fingers on the table, seemingly catching some of Percy’s excitement. 

“Plus, we know and love him, so that saves us some interview time.” Annabeth smiled. “Will, would it be okay if we asked Nico? The staff gets pretty close over the summer, so I realize it basically be like asking you to move in with your boyfriend all summer.” 

“Oh, well…” Will trails off. The idea of Nico working at camp makes his heart glow, but he also hasn’t seen Nico with a camera, ever. He knows Hazel got him one for Christmas, and he’s mentioned wanting to use it, but...would he want to do it all day, every day, for three months straight? “I don’t mind you asking him. I honestly don’t know what he would say. Can I mention it to him tonight?”

“Yeah! Tell him I want to talk with him about it. I’ll text him and set the plan in motion.” Percy looks almost scheming at this point, but Will imagines he’s just excited at the prospects of having another one of his best friends in his close vicinity. 

Blessedly, the meeting is adjourned, and Will practically floats back to his cabin, thankful that the next day is not one of his school shifts. He’s no longer sure if one all-consuming full time job, like when he worked at a hospital, or if multiple part-time jobs scraped together exhaust him more. 

Nico manages to find a few ways to wake Will up, much to their mutual excitement. After, when Will is holding Nico to him in his bed ( _ their  _ bed? Sometimes it feels like Nico  _ does _ already live here), he decides to tell Nico that his name came up in the camp meeting. After that, he stays still, and quiet, wanting Nico to feel free to take his time to mull the idea over. He strokes Nico’s hair, which reaches Nico’s shoulders now, and Will loves it so much he thinks he could bury his face in the soft black locks and never leave. 

“That sounds cool, but I...I haven’t really taken any photos lately.” Nico finally says, and he sounds a little concerned. “I’m not sure I’d be any good at it now.” 

Will considers this - if that’s Nico’s only concern, and not if the job is of interest or not, then he doesn’t see a big issue. “Why don’t you practice? See how it feels?” Will kisses Nico’s forehead, then his eyebrows, then his nose. Nico giggles; it’s a wonderful sound, still, and Will thinks he will never tire of it. “I could be your model.” 

“You’re already a model, practically.” Nico laughs, and playfully smacks Will’s chest, before snuggling in further. “I’ll think about it.” He murmurs more quietly, and it’s not long after that sleep takes hold of them both. 

The next day, on a hike up to Bianca’s old viewpoint and further still, Nico brings his camera and takes a few experimental shots. Will is actually quite embarrassed to have his photo taken, which only makes Nico try to take his picture  _ more _ , insisting that Will is adorable and beautiful and then some.

By the end of the hike, Nico’s got about 60 shots of the views and plants, and 300 of Will. He grins about it. Will is silent and red in the face for a solid fifteen minutes. 

\----

It’s not all sweet moments with Hades and Nico, unfortunately, but Mr. D had tried telling Nico to expect that. “Remember - conflict means that you’re breaking the old systems and creating new ones,” his therapist reminds him as Nico is hunched over in the backyard, and Nico has the urge to toss his phone into the exterior walls of Seph’s greenhouse in exasperation. 

“I doubt we’ll create a system where my father is not an  _ ass _ .” Nico snaps, and his therapist shrugs his shoulders, unfazed by his client’s quick temper in the therapy space.

It’s late April now, and the chill in the air has finally left, which means spring  _ actually _ feels real in Angel River. There’s a pleasant warmth to the air, and flowers are practically exploding out of Seph’s greenhouse and into the front lawn and inside vases in the home...it’s a lot of flowers. Nico and his father are in the process of carefully moving some from the entryway, so they will both stop tripping and knocking them over (Hazel, always nimble footed, never seemed to have this issue, though if she did Nico doubted she would receive as much of Seph’s wrath as he or Hades did). 

Hades is in the middle of asking Nico why Frank Zhang had asked to meet with him and Seph this week, outside of his normal appearances at family dinners (which Will goes to every week now too; Nico couldn’t convince him that they should skip those even if he tried, and he  _ has _ tried). Nico is stuttering, because he knows about the ring, and he  _ knows  _ that  _ Hades  _ knows about the ring, because his father has that scary look in his eye that he usually reserved for when Nico would get sent home with detention - somehow his father and stepmother managed to know  _ everything  _ before Nico ever had a chance to explain himself. He doesn’t want to put Frank in that position too, so he feigns ignorance, which clearly isn’t getting past his dad, so he abruptly changes the subject instead. He tells Hades that he’s decided to take the photographer role at the camp for the summer. It likely comes with housing but he thinks he could still make weekly dinners, since he’s not needed in the evenings. And it pays well, and will keep him busy, so that’s good. 

Hades does not seem to think it’s good, though, and while Nico can see in hindsight that his father is actually restraining himself quite a bit, it doesn’t stop him from giving a little speech about ‘growing up’ and being ‘too old for jobs meant for teenagers’.

It’s bait his father is setting, intentionally or not, and Nico leaps on it. Hades may claim no responsibility for Nico’s quick ability to leap into fury in the blink of an eye, but Nico knows, in reality, that his father raised wolves, not puppies. It’s been awhile since they fought, but it’s like riding a bike. They’re snapping at each other and pushing back and yes, there is some yelling. 

However, when Nico is grumbling to his therapist, he does come to the conclusion that it wasn’t as barbed of a fight as he usually had with his father, all things considered. And words like “boundaries” and I-statements were suddenly being used a lot more. Also, Nico realizes that when he ended the argument with the declaration that he could make a living however he saw fit, it wasn’t threats or ultimatums that Hades threw back, but a sharp “Fine!” before they both stalked off.

Granted, it was an angry, exasperated “Fine!”, and they don’t speak to each other for two whole days afterwards, but even Nico can’t ignore the signs of what Mr. D called ‘progress’.

——

April 30th was Naomi’s Solace’s birthday, and Will needs a cake. He also needs to clarify, with Nico or with himself, if he’s supposed to say it  _ was  _ his mother’s birthday or it  _ is  _ his mother’s birthday. Both implications feel a little true, but Will always feels flustered when he has to explain it out loud.

Will needs carrot cake, but not just any carrot cake. There’s a very specific family-owned diner in Austin, where Naomi Solace  _ always _ got her birthday cake from, even long after she gained some fame and could eat at Michelin star restaurants multiple times a week. Naomi would say it was a magic cake, that it was the best she would ever eat, and Will was convinced right along with her.

Will was in Austin a year ago, so it was easy to get this cake, to practice the simple ritual of eating a slice and letting himself just  _ miss _ and celebrate his mom. How many years had he spent in those worn leather booths, singing ‘happy birthday’ to his smiling mom, admiring how his brothers sang so much better? 

He admits to himself, in the last hour, that he didn’t really think about how he would perform this ritual in Angel River, which was thousands of miles away. Nico says later it might be anxiety making Will avoid his stressors, though Will doesn’t want to agree with him (at least out loud). 

Will does call the diner, on the morning of April 29th, and Ruby, the long-time owner, regretfully tells Will that there’s no way she could ship him the cake in time. 

“It would cost  _ hundreds _ of dollars, and even then, I was pulling out my debit card, but then Ruby said she doesn’t even have the materials to make shipping it possible.” Will says this all tearfully, in his cocoon of blankets in his loft bed, where Nico finds him. Will feels stupid, and Nico tells him that he’s not, but he still feels like he’s totally fucked up. 

“There are so many other ways you can connect with her, Will.” Nico says softly, brushing Will’s fresh tears and looking at him with concern. Will nods, because he knows Nico’s right, but he spends the rest of the evening, and the next day, grieving that goddamn cake, and cursing his idiocy for not planning ahead so he could enjoy it. 

Nico gives Will his space on that day, per Will’s request, but he asks if he can come stay with Will that night, in his cabin. It works out, because it sounds like Frank is going to ask for Hades and Seph’s blessing to propose to Hazel, and Nico wants to hang back for support (Will has known about the ring for months - Nico is terrible at keeping secrets from him). It is now 9pm, the day long gone, and Will has just finished a long (and tearful) phone call with Cecil, who needs some kind of best-friend award, because he spends half the phone call swearing to Will that he and Lou Ellen will go to the diner tomorrow and eat two big slices of cake for Will. When Will opens the door to let Nico in, he knows his eyes are puffy and he looks like shit, but part of the beauty in having this specific boy as his person is that Nico  _ gets it _ . More than most, and Will leans into the kiss that Nico presses to his freckled cheek.

“So, um. I have something for you.” Nico holds up a little paper bag, looking shyly up at Will through dark lashes. 

Will is surprised, both because Nico isn’t the gift-giving type, and also because he’s not sure how he feels receiving gifts on his dead mother’s birthday. Still, he sits at his little table, allowing Nico to sit beside him. Nico reaches into the bag, and places the ugliest, misshapen little cake that Will has ever seen on the table. 

At least, Will  _ thinks _ it’s a cake. 

Nico is babbling now, about calling the diner himself and bribing Ruby of the long-coveted family recipe so he can recreate the cake for Will. But he knows it looks ugly, and he apologizes for that, but since he followed the recipe he assumes it will at least taste good, and he hopes Will isn’t mad or offended, Nico just wanted to help and - 

Will stops him with a searing kiss, tears dotting his eyes. He feels so unconditionally  _ loved _ by the gesture, and so silly for crying over cake. He tells Nico it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him, and he sits down to pick up a fork and take the first bite.

He chews a few times, Nico looking at him with a cautious smile, and then Will smiles back.

The cake is absolutely terrible. 

Will can’t even hide it from Nico, because his boyfriend immediately grabs Will’s fork to take a bite for himself, and looks up at the blonde in horror. 

It’s the first time, in many years, that Will laughed so hard on his mother’s birthday. And he knows he has Nico to thank for it. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go 🥺🥲 thanks for sticking with me


	35. Staying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me crying at finishing this at last ;_; Hope you enjoy!

“Frank looks like he’s going to throw up.” Will observed, laying in the grass by Nico’s side. Nico laughed in spite of himself - he felt bad for Frank, he really did, but he also knew the boy had _nothing_ to be worried about. Hazel was sure to say yes to the proposal, if his late night talks with her said anything about it. 

Still, he agreed with Will - from their hidden spot up on a grassy hill, Nico could see that Frank looked a bit paler than usual, and he seemed to be tripping on his own feet a lot. He was taking Hazel on a hike, and planned to propose to her around the spot he first asked her out. That’s where Nico would hide with his camera, and Will joined because he was an absolute romantic who wouldn’t hear otherwise. 

Nico had many opportunities to test out the new device Hazel had gifted him over Christmas. At first, Will was his only test model, but Nico began bringing the camera along to group hangouts, or when he would run errands for Grover, snapping images of things that caught his eye. It wasn’t long before Seph corralled him into taking photos of her shop, both the coffee and bakery side and the plant side as well. Seph claimed that she needed new photos for the shop’s website, and insisted on paying Nico for the work - Nico couldn’t remember the last time Seph cared about anything on the internet, even her own business, but it was easy work, and good practice for editing. 

Sally Jackson had come in with Estelle the morning that Nico was getting images of Grover and Juniper making latte art. Estelle was fascinated by the camera’s many buttons, and Nico crouched down with her to show her the various images that he had taken. Looking over their shoulders, Sally was very impressed with Nico’s work, insisting that he come take photos of her family. Nico sputtered and tried to get out of it - not only did he not think he was talented enough for the task, but Sally made him nervous. He had grown up knowing her as Percy’s warm, friendly, doting mother. Nico was in awe of how welcoming she was to all of Percy’s friends; when Nico was very little, he even liked to imagine sometimes that Sally would adopt him, and she could be his mother, too. Sally seemed to understand, with some motherly instinct, that Nico needed extra love and affection, so she never let up on peppering him with many questions about how he and his sisters were doing, what he liked in school. Once, when Nico was sixteen, she even asked if he _like-liked_ anyone, but she didn’t try again, possibly because Nico had turned a brilliant shade of red and was without words for so long that Percy was howling at him. Nico had become a teenager, and most teenage boys were awkward around their friends’ moms - especially the mom of the boy he harbored a secret crush on. 

Sally managed to still have some sort of hold on Nico’s desire to please, however, because soon he was agreeing to the photoshoot. All in all, it wasn’t a bad experience. Nico worried taking the couple shots of Percy and Annabeth would feel weird, but his friends just kept him laughing, and he was actually developing a kind of fondness for their relationship. Sally and Paul made for good models too, and of course Estelle couldn’t take a bad picture if she tried. Will came along to help Nico out, but soon got pulled into the group shots, and Nico’s heart twinged at how Will’s blue eyes misted over at the inclusion. 

Once Sally sent the photos out to print, Nico was dealing with random requests here and there from other families in Angel River. He didn’t mind too much, realizing that it would be good practice for camp, and he was able to use the camp budget to buy fancier lenses and editing software. It made perfect sense when Frank asked Nico to document the proposal, and this time, Nico actually felt fairly confident he would do a good job. 

So here he was, hiding out with his boyfriend, about to watch his sister’s life completely change. Nico took a moment to look over at Will, who was picking at the grass, watching Frank and Hazel’s every movement down the winding pathway of the hiking trail. He had recently gotten a haircut due to the warm weather, claiming his head felt too hot at night (the cabin was cozy, but it didn’t have the best ventilation, Nico was learning). Will had opted for an undercut, letting his curls stay long on the top of his head, and for the first week, Nico couldn’t stop touching the closely shaved part on the back of Will’s head, or pulling his curls down in front of his face. 

Six months into dating, and Nico didn’t feel any less in love with Will. Some of the butterflies and thrills of all the newness had faded, but in their place was a steady, warm comfort. In its place was the trust that they were building every day, and the ways they were willing to work through disagreements or problems. 

Still, there were moments like this, when Will was squinting his eyes, his mouth in an absurdly happy smile, so excited that he was practically wiggling, that Nico felt his heart flutter. Nico really, really, _really_ loved Will. He didn’t see that changing. He felt like he could handle anything else in his life changing - but Will’s partnership wasn’t on that list. 

“Hey, where did you go?”

Nico was startled from his thoughts by Will’s warm hand on his shoulder, and bright blue, curious eyes suddenly very close to his own. Nico laughed, and reached his hand over to Will. 

“Just distracted by how cute you are, _cucciolo_ .” Pinching Will’s cheek, Nico smiled at how Will seemed to gain _more_ freckles in the sunny weather. 

“What’s that one mean?” Will asked with a grin. Nico had been peppering in some italian pet names here and there, though ‘Sunshine’ still won out. 

“It’s like...a puppy? Or really, kind of a catch-all name for baby animals.” Nico admitted, delighted at how Will seemed both charmed and offended. Will didn’t have time to debate, however, because suddenly, Nico noticed that Frank had stopped the hike, now facing Hazel and holding both of her hands in his. 

“ _Ohmygoditshappening_!” Will whispered, and Nico pushed his head down, lifting his camera. They couldn’t hear what Frank was saying, but once he dropped to one knee, Nico focused on shooting as many pictures as he could, while also trying to process this big event that was happening before his eyes. His sister looked completely surprised, to the point where she had ducked her head in her hands and bent over, laughing. After a few moments, however, both Nico and Will heard her yell a loud, “YES!” before she tackled Frank to the ground.

Will had been gripping Nico’s forearm, captivated by the display, and he gave a loud sniffle. Nico would have made fun of him for the tears, if his own eyes weren’t suddenly misting over themselves. If a year ago, someone had told him he’d be here to witness Hazel get everything she deserved, let alone eventually go to her _wedding_ , he would have considered it downright impossible. Now, he was woven into the start of Hazel and Frank’s union - now, whenever people would ask the couple to retell the proposal story, in the weeks and months to come, Nico would be a part of it. He would be a part of it not just for the photos, but for how he ran to embrace Hazel once Frank revealed his and Will’s hiding spot, and how she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re _here_ ” in his ear. 

Though it wasn’t the first time he felt this way, Nico couldn’t help but think how he _was_ really glad to be here. Safe, alive, and with his family in new and (mostly) healing ways. 

The handsome, freckled ball of sunshine boyfriend helped too, of course. 

\---

There was a surprise engagement party planned that evening, of course - since Seph was managing that, Nico and Will had a few hours to kill, after passing off the picnic basket that Frank had them hold onto off to the newly engaged couple. When they were driving through the downtown, on their way back to Will’s cabin, Nico decided he wanted a snack of his own, and Will surprised him by pulling into his old spot behind the bakery. 

“What are you doing here?” Nico asked Will, curious. 

“Grabbing a snack, of course.” Will said as he hopped out of the truck. 

“You don’t work there anymore!”

“Yeah, but my boyfriend does! Plus, Grover loves me.” Will zipped in and out of the bakery so quickly that Nico wondered if he was even seen. He shook his head at Will, who came bearing a bag of cookies. 

“My hero.” Nico said sarcastically, as he reached into the bag and chomped on a cookie. “You should pay for these, you know.” 

“Eh, take it out of your paycheck. I know how many free lattes you make for yourself.” Will suddenly gave Nico some big eyes, and batted his eyelashes comically. “Plus, it’s so romantic to visit the first place we fell in _love_.”

“Whatever, Will.” Nico rolled his eyes, but he stopped when Will gave him a serious look. 

“Nico, I’m serious. At least on my end.” A bit flushed, Will looked through his truck window, towards the back end of the bakery. “I think when I pulled you up off the floor, I fell for you right then and there.”

Now it was Nico’s turn to blush, and his insides felt soft and gooey. How did Will _do_ that, turning a teasing moment into something so sweet that Nico would be replaying it in his head over and over for the rest of the day. 

“I think the first thing I noticed were your eyes,” Nico admitted. He figured he owed Will some sweetness back. 

“Aw, that’s cute, _Neeks_ .” Will tugged at Nico’s hair affectionately, said-blue eyes sparkling. He started the car finally, and they scarfed down the cookies. “Can you believe your sister is getting _married_?” Will asked, as he made the turn off the main road to head towards the camp.

Nico snorted. “ _No_ . Not at all. I’m going to have a _brother-in-law_. Super weird. And of course it’s Frank, who is going to be the perfect model for a son-in-law, too.”

“Hades and Seph will finally have a son who isn’t goth.” Will sighed in mock relief, but Nico laughed. “Did you think you’d ever get married one day?”

The question was a little bold, but by now, Nico felt pretty comfortable around Will’s ways of integrating deeper questions into their conversations. He tried to think about it, but frowned slightly when his memories were coming up short. “You know...I think on some level, I knew marriage was like, a thing grown-ups did. But I think being gay and not knowing it yet made it like, hard to picture.” Will nodded, and Nico continued, looking up at the tall redwood trees that hugged the road. “But yeah...I think it always sounded nice. And I got better at picturing it, eventually. What about you?” 

He turned to look at Will just in time to catch the blonde’s small, quiet smile. It was the one Will used when he thought Nico wasn’t looking, when he was feeling some sort of affection or admiration that he didn’t want to shower Nico with just yet. Will met his eyes briefly, knowing he was caught, and hummed thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Oh yeah. I _loved_ weddings growing up. I always wanted my own one day, though for most of my childhood that was more for the food and the dancing. I remember my mom telling me, ‘Once you find someone who you want to marry, and who wants to marry you, Will, I promise you can have the biggest party you want.’” Will chuckled, adding, “I mean, at the time, I think I was pretty convinced _Aladdin_ was my future husband, so I think she was trying to bring me back to reality a bit.”

Nico laughed along, but didn’t miss how Will’s eyes had gotten a little watery at the mention of his mom. He reached his hand over to give Will’s knee a squeeze. Will briefly brought one hand down from the steering wheel to grab Nico’s hand back, giving him a look of thanks. That happened a lot between the two of them - Will and Nico had a mutual love for sharing their life stories with each other, but both were painted with significant shadows of grief. Most memories, even the sweetest ones, had a bittersweet taste to them, because not all the characters had made it to the present chapter. 

It was this understanding, as well as some general hesitancy, that Nico didn’t say what first came to his mind at Will’s response. 

_I’d_ _want to marry you_. 

It was a true, honest thought, but Nico wasn’t ready to say it just yet. Maybe because even though the desire was there, he wasn’t ready to act on it. Marriage still seemed like a big, scary thing, something he didn’t have many examples to go off of. 

What he could say, if pressed, was that he could see it with Will, though. It was like looking through a thick, grimy window - the other side was fuzzy, and hard to make out, but Nico could catch glimpses. He wondered if Will ever did, too. Or if his view was even clearer, or more obstructed.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at Will’s cabin. Feeling sleepy from all of the time in the sun, Nico decided that they could watch a movie on Will’s laptop up in the loft bed. He was about to doze off midway through a cartoon, when Will’s phone rang, scaring them both. With a groan, Will pointed to his phone - Percy was calling. Nico made a cutting motion across his throat to Will; he knew how tired the blonde was from all the camp meetings, and now that Nico was on as the photographer, they both were being subjected to all their free time being spent planning for the summer. It was exasperating - Percy, Annabeth, and Piper all had ridiculously high standards and big ideas. Nico didn’t see why he had to weigh in, given that all he had to do was photograph whatever they came up with, but he had been given such an intense pushback when he voiced the thought out loud that he had given up. 

“Percy? What’s up?” Will answered, looking at Nico while the tinny, faraway sound of Percy’s voice on the other end filled the silence. “Uh, no, I’m not at my cabin, I’m...helping Nico with the engagement party.” Will’s eyes widened as Percy continued to speak, and he raised his hand to his mouth to stifle a groan. “My truck? Yeah...I uh...I got a ride from someone else. I’m not home.” Even though Percy couldn’t see him, Will blushed. “I’m not lying!” 

“ _Also it’s your day off!_ ” Nico hissed, annoyed that Percy was clearly telling Will about something big, because it was a while before Will finally spoke again. 

“Ugh, seriously? Okay...Okay...Sure…” Nico had resorted to snatching Will’s laptop and distracting himself with social media (Nico was still only on Instagram, but he had been posting pictures more and more frequently). Will made more listening noises and finally sat up in the bed, running a hand through his hair, looking concerned.

“Well...no one from the short list is available? Okay. Okay. Yeah, that’s great. Uh, no look, I trust you - do what you need to do, okay? You already know what’s needed and if you think they’re good, I’m good. Okay. Thanks Percy. Bye.”

Will shut his phone off and flopped back down on the bed with a big sigh. “My infirmary aide quit unexpectedly.” 

“What? But we haven’t even started camp.” Nico was surprised. He remembered Will being excited about this hire; he would need all the help in the infirmary he could get.

“Something about a peace corps opportunity...I don’t even know. Honestly I stopped listening once Percy was going on about them bailing and no one from our application pool was available.” Will closed his eyes, looking exhausted at all the camp talk. “But it sounds like a couple of the counselors they hired had some medical experience, so Percy is going to see if he can cobble together a deal where one of them does part time infirmary, part time counseling.”

“Would that be enough help for you, do you think?” Nico asked, and Will managed a half shrug.

“I mean...I guess I don’t know till we are actually starting camp, but this way, I might get more hands to help out, instead of one. The variety might be nice.” Will managed a weak smile. “Honestly? I’m just happy to not have to do another damn interview.” 

Nico nodded in sympathy. “So you don’t know them then?”

Will shook his head. “No, these were counselor hires, and I didn’t sit in for all of those. Someone named Ky? They’re not local so I wouldn’t know them...Also, maybe you could help me sometimes!” Will beamed, and continued, “You were a good assistant in the bakery, no reason why you can’t help me cut bandages or stock shelves too.” 

“I guess so...if you pay me extra.” Nico mused, and Will grunted out a small laugh. Nico began pondering what it would feel like when the camp was full, when he and Will wouldn’t have all the time in the world to spend in his cabin. “It’ll be so weird, when summer starts. I remember it’s always really busy.”

“Yeah - are you going to stay at home, or the staff cabins, by the way?” 

Nico wrinkled his nose. “Honestly, the staff cabins are pretty trashy. But it would be inconvenient to have to trek here from the house every day. I don’t even have a car.”

“You don’t think your parents or your trust fund could get you a car?” Will teased lightly, and Nico shook his head.

“Well, I don’t _want_ a car, really.” Will nodded in understanding. Nico rarely said it out loud, but he had a bit of driving anxiety, even before Bianca’s accident (Seph and his father did not inspire confidence when Nico and his siblings were in driver’s ed). In the city, cars weren’t really needed, and Nico kind of liked public transportation, or getting rides from friends. He didn’t see the need in having a car if he never used it.

Will was picking at the pieces of his duvet that were pilling, his cheeks slightly pink. “I was thinking...maybe you could stay with me for the summer? Not like, moving in permanently, but, I don’t know, you’re here all the time anyways…”

Nico was staring at Will. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed his mind, but he didn’t think Will’s tiny cabin would allow another person, comfortably. He didn’t think Will would allow it, comfortably.

Nervous by Nico’s surprised silence, Will kept staring at the duvet, his cheeks now very red. “I-I know the cabin is tiny, but when it’s my turn to be on call I’ll sleep in the infirmary, so you’d have some nights to yourself. And you could come and go as much as you want. I just thought...well, it might work well.”

“Will,” Nico began, also feeling nervous, “that’s very kind but, I don’t want to take up your space just because it’s convenient for me.”

“It’s convenient for me too,” Will huffed, looking up to give Nico an annoyed look. “I like having you here.”

That made Nico laugh. “Well, how could I say no to an invitation like that?” He reached out to ruffle Will’s hair, but the blonde caught his wrist. “You don’t have to twist my arm Will, you know I’ll stay here if you really want me to.”

“Of course I want you too!” Will practically growled, and he pushed Nico so that he was hovering over him, pinning his wrists to the mattress and bringing his face closer to Nico’s. “And also, I kind of already asked Percy and Annabeth and they’re cool with it.”

“Will! You did not!” Nico turned his head away from Will’s lips, which landed on Nico’s jawline. 

“I did!! I didn’t want to offer if it was against the rules -”

“Rules? We’re adults, Will. Gay adults.”

“Shut up, you know what I mean -”

“Maybe I don’t, since you’re suddenly being very prudish - Will! Stop tickling me!”

“Not until you agree to be my cabin buddy for the summer.” 

“ _Hahaha_ fine _hahaha_ okay _okay_ _haha_ Will, stop!!!”

——

Nico hadn’t done anything with Bianca’s ashes yet, but he also hadn’t been in a rush. There was something oddly comforting, having the small box on his dresser for a little while. He would sometimes sit in his bed, taking time to hold it, run his fingers over the engraving, and think. Mostly, he just liked replaying happy memories of her, ones where she was absolutely alive and whole, not an imagination of who Nico thought she could be. 

Nico would always have two sisters. Death didn’t change that - however, while Hazel was becoming someone’s wife, and growing as an artist, and letting her rebellious nature out just a little bit, Bianca would always be the same. Sometimes Nico would think about who Bianca could have been now - what she would have been like, what she would have thought of Will, what hobbies she would have turned into careers. But those were always Nico’s best guesses, a glimpse into a non-reality, where anything was possible. Lately, Nico was beginning to reply on what was, and always would be, true about Bianca.

She was a responsible big sister. She looked out for Nico and Hazel and anyone else who needed protecting. She liked her quiet time, but deeply valued her friends. She was beautiful. 

She loved Nico. 

And Nico loved her back. 

Now, Nico was learning how to love himself, because if Bianca did, he must deserve to as well - he planted that truth deep in his heart like a seed, past the pain, anger, and loss. He wasn’t sure if anything could truly grow from it, for a long time - he had planted it somewhat halfheartedly, in the early days of therapy, fresh out of the hospital and able to stand without shaking from his illness. He watered it by taking his medications, by accepting help, and by reconnecting with his friends. 

It was a few weeks before camp started, on a Friday afternoon, that he realized that something had sprouted within him, after all that hard work and toil. Nothing particularly extraordinary had happened; Nico had come in from one of his final shifts at the coffee shop, carrying a little potted plant that Grover had gifted him. He had gone on a walk with Piper that morning, and seen Percy and Annabeth laughing through a double date with Leo and Caly at the coffee shop. His father and Seph were on the first level of the house, and both gave Nico a greeting, Seph fawning over the small plant and Hades watching politely at a distance, a calm expression on his face. Nico went upstairs to his room so he could begin deciding what to move into Will’s cabin, when Hazel popped in to ask what movie he wanted to watch that night. They had arranged a deal where Nico and Will would stay in the living room after family dinners to help Hazel and Frank with wedding planning - Nico could pick the movie to have on in the background so he didn’t get _extremely_ bored (though he secretly relished being included). A text from Will interrupted his packing - apparently there was a particularly funny injury at the school he had to treat that involved a spirited game of tag and five second-graders all shouting about whose fault it was.

_Will: Can’t wait to see u tonite - these kids are cute but wow. Can’t stop laughing._

_Will: Love u!_

_Will: So glad u will be my cabinmate soon <3 ;-) _

Nico had chuckled at the text, and suddenly felt like he had woken up, staring at what had grown in the past seven months in Angel River, what had grown after seven years away. It wasn’t an extraordinary day - but it was all that had become so _ordinary_ now, to Nico, that caused the epiphany. He looked to the little box on his dresser, and he felt ready. 

He didn’t think he’d ever feel ready. But here he was. 

Up at Bianca’s spot in the woods, under a cathedral of trees, Nico stepped slowly towards the drop off, opening the box for the first time since his father placed it in his hand. 

He appreciated how the wind took Bianca off and into the sky. Once again, she was leaving Nico so quickly, but this time, it felt like it was on Nico’s terms.

He used to think that over time, his grief might have the chance to grow smaller, but he had been discouraged at how it touched every part of his life. Now, he realized that his life simply had learned to grow around it. And today, in the sunshine, Nico was okay with that. 

After standing there for over an hour, looking over the wilderness that surrounded Angel River, Nico finally turned back to head home, where he knew Will would be waiting for him. 

\----

_Oh my love, don't cry when I'm gone_

_I will lift you up, the air in your lungs_

_And when you reach for me, we’ll dance in the darkness_

_And we will move on, our daughters and sons_

_They will carry on as though we were young_

_We will stand aside and breathe in the new life_

_When I die, I don't want to rest in peace_

_I want to dance in joy,_

_I want to dance in the graveyards, the graveyards_

_And while I'm alive,_

_I don't want to be alone mourning the ones who came before_

_I want to dance with them some more,_

_Let's dance in the graveyards_

_\- Delta Rae_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR READING THIS AND FOLLOWING ALONG. I can't believe how this grew and how many of you gave kudos and comments to this. It was a delight to write, truly. Aaaaand if you couldn't tell by Will's new little camp employee, I already have ideas for sequel pieces/one shots :-) So hopefully this isn't the last you've seen of the Angel River AU!
> 
> Also, THANK YOU for nominating me in the Solangelo Fic Awards!!! You can now go vote for all the nominations! Even if it's not mine, I hope you find something new to read and love! I'm nominated in the Unfinished Category, though now this is all done lol: https://solange-lol.tumblr.com/post/641955952462118912/image-description-two-digital-bust-drawings-of 
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you !


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